The John Lennon Bus: Empowering Education and Creativity in Austin Texas

As I step onto the iconic John Lennon Bus, I am immediately struck by its unique energy and purpose. This nonprofit institution, sponsored by Canon, is dedicated to empowering education and creativity among young filmmakers. I'm thrilled to be here for the next five days, working with local high school students on making a short film. The bus, affectionately known as the "world's best nonprofit mobile recording studio," is designed to foster creativity and collaboration.

As we take a tour of the bus, I notice that it's not just a static exhibit – it's an interactive experience. We have music playing, and kids are excitedly touching equipment and exploring their creative possibilities. The bus is equipped with state-of-the-art tools, allowing students to bring their ideas to life in a short amount of time – just 8 hours, in fact. Our goal is to provide a platform for creativity and self-expression, where students can let their imaginations run wild.

The John Lennon Bus is not limited to high school students; it's designed to be inclusive of all ages, from fourth grade up to college students. Our mission is to offer a unique learning experience that transcends traditional classroom settings. By providing access to the latest technology and creative tools, we aim to inspire a new generation of artists, musicians, and filmmakers.

As I speak with David, one of our team members, he shares his passion for this project. "We're not just teachers; we're colleagues, confidants, and friends," he says. "Our goal is to partner with these students on their creative journey, helping them bring their vision to life." This collaborative approach is at the heart of the John Lennon Bus initiative.

Now, let's take a moment to catch up with George Clinton, the legendary musician and artist who has graciously agreed to share his time with us. As we sit down to chat, I'm struck by his energy and enthusiasm. We discuss everything from music to art to social justice – it's clear that this is someone who is deeply passionate about using his platform to make a positive impact.

"Music is what I want to do with my life," George begins, reflecting on how he first discovered his passion for music at the age of 15. He recalls hearing Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers' hit song "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" on the radio and knew right then that he wanted to make music. By the end of the week, he had formed Parliament-Funkadelic and was well on his way to becoming a musical icon.

As we talk with George, it's clear that he has always been driven by a desire to create and inspire others. He shares stories about his experiences as an artist and musician, from his early days in P-Funk to his later work with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It's inspiring to see someone who has dedicated their life to music and art, using their platform to make a positive impact on the world.

As I reflect on our conversation with George Clinton, I'm reminded of the power of creativity and self-expression. This iconic musician has used his talents to inspire countless fans around the world, from "One Nation Under a Groove" to "Flash Light." His story is a testament to the enduring spirit of artistry and innovation that defines us as human beings.

As we conclude our time on the John Lennon Bus, I'm grateful for the opportunity to have shared this experience with George Clinton and the rest of the team. This initiative is truly inspiring – a shining example of how creativity, collaboration, and passion can come together to make a meaningful impact in the world.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enoh oh oh what did I do to myself what did I do to myself make you turn around are you going to uh green screen George Clint in what's up guys we are in Austin Texas this week uh Canon has actually brought me down here and I'll going be here for the next 5 days working with these folks this is the John lenen bus and if you guys aren't familiar with the John lenen bus this is a nonprofit institution that Canon is one of the main sponsors with and what this is is it represents Canon's investment into the empowerment of Education of filmmakers and I'm really excited to be doing this we're going to be working with three local high school students on making a short film and so I'm going to give you a little bit behind the scenes but first let's go uh let's go check out the bus we're here on the John Lyon educational tour bus and this is the world's best nonprofit mobile recording studio right now this is kind of like the equivalent of the living room of the studio if you will it's where we get all the kids they come in they sit on the couch we get to know them um we kind of you know get them as comfortable as possible possible the bus is designed around coming in and wanting to create as quickly as possible and as easily as possible so as you can see we got some guys playing already you know we always have music going this isn't a museum um this is something that we want to be tactile and interactive and anything that the kids are interested in in getting their hands on they can they totally have access to any any piece of equipment camera guitar um tricaster whatever they want to touch they get to they get to play with these projects that they create they're done in 8 hours they have one day to create these projects with the bus and we need them to be able to get their ideas out as quickly as possible and having the newest best tools allows us to be as efficient as possible with these days we want to offer it to as many different types of kids as possible it's not just for like high schools it's not just for Middle School it's not just for college it's all in between even as young as like fourth fifth grade and the reason why we're doing that is cuz you know every kid takes something different away from the bus um but the similar thing is that when they leave that door they feel like they've created something that they never thought they would be able to create there's no limits there's no barriers it's like we we are their we're more than just their teachers we're their colleagues confidants their friends we're here as their Partners making their Vision come to life I'm Jordan Ryan D Stefano I'm David venish and I'm carar philp I've known David since sophomore year um we were in avtech together so and you guys are in Round Rock right yeah we're in Round Rock ISD we are going to interview George Clinton and and we are going to go get some shots in Austin she's a big 607s Funk fan I I am I am um I he also worked with um one of my favorite rappers to Funk so whenever I found that out I was like so exciting master plan is to emphasize the moment of dedication that these artists decide that music is what they want to do with their lives and so it's about following Street musicians in Ju position to George Clinton and showing the highlights and differences between them and and what led them and the relationship between them as musicians and their as their passions what am I supposed to do you're just going to rock that's what you're going to do I like it Rock I want to rock oh man we just had we're getting George Clinton to put money in her guitar case and it's going to be amazing I don't believe any of you okay I think that may be him just pretend we just got a line that he was going to be in the neighborhood and I kind of believe that I kind of believe that y we seem sketchy enough to pull that yeah y didn't even he doesn't know with his ladies Dam oh man everybody it's Mr Clint I just can't I it everybody got I just can't find say I just can't every everybody have George get into bed that would be I was about 15 years old I heard Frankie lman on the radio singing Why Do Fools Fall In Love and I knew from that moment that I like this record this song but by the time I got to school that day everybody was talking about had you heard this record especially the girls and like right then I knew that I wanted to make music if it had girls talking like this about you I was in a 14 grade school I started Parliament before the end of the week I just can't everybody got I just can't I just can't find everybody got I just can't find I sayoh oh oh what did I do to myself what did I do to myself make you turn around are you going to uh green screen George Clint in what's up guys we are in Austin Texas this week uh Canon has actually brought me down here and I'll going be here for the next 5 days working with these folks this is the John lenen bus and if you guys aren't familiar with the John lenen bus this is a nonprofit institution that Canon is one of the main sponsors with and what this is is it represents Canon's investment into the empowerment of Education of filmmakers and I'm really excited to be doing this we're going to be working with three local high school students on making a short film and so I'm going to give you a little bit behind the scenes but first let's go uh let's go check out the bus we're here on the John Lyon educational tour bus and this is the world's best nonprofit mobile recording studio right now this is kind of like the equivalent of the living room of the studio if you will it's where we get all the kids they come in they sit on the couch we get to know them um we kind of you know get them as comfortable as possible possible the bus is designed around coming in and wanting to create as quickly as possible and as easily as possible so as you can see we got some guys playing already you know we always have music going this isn't a museum um this is something that we want to be tactile and interactive and anything that the kids are interested in in getting their hands on they can they totally have access to any any piece of equipment camera guitar um tricaster whatever they want to touch they get to they get to play with these projects that they create they're done in 8 hours they have one day to create these projects with the bus and we need them to be able to get their ideas out as quickly as possible and having the newest best tools allows us to be as efficient as possible with these days we want to offer it to as many different types of kids as possible it's not just for like high schools it's not just for Middle School it's not just for college it's all in between even as young as like fourth fifth grade and the reason why we're doing that is cuz you know every kid takes something different away from the bus um but the similar thing is that when they leave that door they feel like they've created something that they never thought they would be able to create there's no limits there's no barriers it's like we we are their we're more than just their teachers we're their colleagues confidants their friends we're here as their Partners making their Vision come to life I'm Jordan Ryan D Stefano I'm David venish and I'm carar philp I've known David since sophomore year um we were in avtech together so and you guys are in Round Rock right yeah we're in Round Rock ISD we are going to interview George Clinton and and we are going to go get some shots in Austin she's a big 607s Funk fan I I am I am um I he also worked with um one of my favorite rappers to Funk so whenever I found that out I was like so exciting master plan is to emphasize the moment of dedication that these artists decide that music is what they want to do with their lives and so it's about following Street musicians in Ju position to George Clinton and showing the highlights and differences between them and and what led them and the relationship between them as musicians and their as their passions what am I supposed to do you're just going to rock that's what you're going to do I like it Rock I want to rock oh man we just had we're getting George Clinton to put money in her guitar case and it's going to be amazing I don't believe any of you okay I think that may be him just pretend we just got a line that he was going to be in the neighborhood and I kind of believe that I kind of believe that y we seem sketchy enough to pull that yeah y didn't even he doesn't know with his ladies Dam oh man everybody it's Mr Clint I just can't I it everybody got I just can't find say I just can't every everybody have George get into bed that would be I was about 15 years old I heard Frankie lman on the radio singing Why Do Fools Fall In Love and I knew from that moment that I like this record this song but by the time I got to school that day everybody was talking about had you heard this record especially the girls and like right then I knew that I wanted to make music if it had girls talking like this about you I was in a 14 grade school I started Parliament before the end of the week I just can't everybody got I just can't I just can't find everybody got I just can't find I say\n"