![<-- Musician Yoko Ono poses with a Music For Life award during the unveiling of the new John Lennon Educational Tour Bus at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada Jan. 7, 2008. The mobile recording studio provides students with a free, hands-on opportunity to make music, produce video projects, and make digital photos.]( "<-- Musician Yoko Ono poses with a Music For Life award during the unveiling of the new John Lennon Educational Tour Bus at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada Jan. 7, 2008. The mobile recording studio provides students with a free, hands-on opportunity to make music, produce video projects, and make digital photos.")
<-- Musician Yoko Ono poses with a Music For Life award during the unveiling of the new John Lennon Educational Tour Bus at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada Jan. 7, 2008. The mobile recording studio provides students with a free, hands-on opportunity to make music, produce video projects, and make digital photos.
Yoko Ono unveils high-tech music education tour bus
Agence France-Presse
First Posted 07:17am (Mla time) 01/08/2008
LAS VEGAS -- Yoko Ono was flanked by music celebrities Monday at the Consumer Electronics Show as she unveiled a high-tech music education tour bus dedicated to late Beatle John Lennon.
The sophisticated recording studio on wheels made its public debut in a crowded pavilion at the world's largest consumer electronics show in Las Vegas.
The bus will tour the United States and Canada year-round, teaching children about music and letting them dabble with recording songs at professional levels, according to operators of the nonprofit charity project.
"This is the kind of thing that John would have loved," his widow, Ono, 74, said before uncovering the bus with help from musicians Natasha Bedingfield, Pat Monahan of Train, and Will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas.
"Music is power. Music is light as opposed to darkness. Let's be a family of light. Let us be with the light and see that we can survive."
Will.i.am said that he and other members of his band have worked with the education project for nearly a decade, penning a few of their hits on board what was basically a mobile haven for song writing.
The bus contains recording technology courtesy of more than a dozen sponsors including Apple and Maxell.
"To use it as a studio and interact with kids is awesome," said Will.i.am.
"When I was growing up in the projects of East Los Angeles, the Book Mobile used to come around. This is like the Book Mobile on crack."
The bus is setting out on a 2008 tour that will include stops at schools and feature stints by popular music artists. The tour schedule can be viewed online at www.lennonbus.org.
"As human beings, I think we are all trying to find inspiration," said Monahan. "Hopefully, this will inspire not just future artists but current ones like me."
http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/breakingnews/breakingnews/view_article.php...id=111030
