John Lennon Bus Experience

Three local students get a chance to make beautiful music.

Austin —Three San Marcos high school students are living their dream today as they “come together” to create a music and video project on the John Lennon Education Tour Bus.

The session is taking place at the headquarters of the Texas Education Agency (TEA) in Austin. This state-of-the art $1 million mobile recording studio is currently touring with Fergie from the Grammy Award winning musical group the Black Eyed Peas.

Agustín Martinez (San Marcos High School), Samantha Morris (PRIDE High School) and Jessica Garcia (SMHS) will work with the Lennon engineers to create personalized “digital expression” projects.

TEA staff will be touring the studio throughout the day and observing the students in action. By the end of the day, the three students will have produced a song and a music video or podcast that is published on the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus Web site at www.jlsc.com and www.jlsc.com/bus/index.php. The video was also ranked the number one music video all summer long on the Apple Education Web site.

Martinez has experience playing an acoustic guitar and wants to learn the electric guitar. Morris plays drums in a country/western band and aspires to tour with a group. Garcia wants to learn to play the bass guitar. For all three, music plays an important role in their life.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our three students,” said Ronda Stonecipher, SMCISD coordinator of Instructional Technology. “These students will have the opportunity to meet Brian Rothchild, the executive director of the foundation, who brainstormed with Yoko Ono Lennon to come up with the idea of an educational tour bus. It is the addition of music sponsors that made the tour bus a reality.”

The bus itself is a marvel: a mobile recording studio and video production unit outfitted with the latest musical instruments, computers, recording equipment and video production equipment. It tours all over North America visiting schools and emphasizing the importance of music programs and the art of digital expression with technology.

In addition to accessing the resources, the students will learn how to write, produce, and record original songs; participate in recording them; and create music videos using the musical instruments and the technology available. In less than a day, Martinez, Morris, and Garcia will have a Maxell DVD of their work.

While currently touring Fergie for her first solo album concert series, the Lennon Foundation is also it its 9th year for the National John Lennon Songwriting Contest in which students can enter songs for national recognition and prizes. Musicians such as D12, Al Jarreau, Bob Weir, Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees, Jesse Harris, Teairra Mari, the Black Eyed Peas, the Bacon Brothers, Ken Komisar, the Veronicas, and John Legend serve as members on the Executive Committee of Judges.

On tour year-round, the bus makes stops at schools, concerts, music festivals, community centers and conferences in their dedicated mission of providing young people with songwriting and multimedia workshop opportunities.

The bus is the subject of a book, “Come Together: The Official John Lennon Educational Tour Bus Guide to Music and Video,” by Mark Garvey.

According to Stonecipher, Apple Computer is one of the premier sponsors for the non-profit organization and helped make the local connection for the San Marcos CISD students. Given that San Marcos CISD last month was named the Tech District of the Year for Central Texas by Time Warner Cable, TEA agreed with the choice.