Lennon bus gets kids into music

If the late John Lennon were here today, his widow Yoko Ono says, he’d love nothing more than to create music with young people.

His legacy rolls into town this week, to give kids that chance.

Since 1998, the nonprofit John Lennon Educational Tour Bus has provided free programs to hundreds of schools, festivals and community groups. Kids who participate get to play music, write their own songs, groove through recording sessions and ultimately produce a video. At the end of the day, the budding stars go home with a DVD of their work.

“This type of mobile, technologically advanced, educational tool will allow the state to more effectively expand the interest of students in grades 6 to 12, in careers relating to recording and audio engineering,” said Asante Bradford, digital entertainment liaison for the film, music and digital entertainment office at Georgia’s Department of Economic Development, in a statement.

The bus will be open for business from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. today at the Villages of Carver YMCA, 1600 Pryor Road; from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 22 at Lakewood Stadium, 70 Claire Drive; and from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. May 23 at Sam Ash Music Store, 2999 Cobb Parkway.

The program is geared toward school-age through college-age students. For more info, see www.lennonbus.org.