John Lennon Tour Bus Stopping by the University of Indianapolis
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Nearly 45 years after John Lennon’s death, his musical legacy ‘rolls on’ in the form of a bus that’s stopping in Central Indiana this week.
“(It’s) a way for students to see all the stuff that goes in behind the scenes in media production and especially music,” University of Indianapolis Music Technology Dr. Brett Leonard. He visited Daybreak to invite everyone to see the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus at the UIndy campus.
The bus opens its doors Wednesday for UIndy students, but Indianapolis Public Schools got to experience the tour first.
The bus tours the country in part as a mobile monument to Lennon’s place in modern musical history, but also for its educational focus on the future. Organizers hope it can serve as a launching pad for a lifetime of learning for visitors of all ages.
“I’m really excited to just kind of see what exactly they’re working with in the modern era of the music industry,” UIndy student Emerson Graft said. He’s majoring in Music Industry as a jazz guitarist with an eye on a career in the business. “I’d love to get into a studio someday, work with some some great musicians, (and) get some some people’s music out there. That’s the end goal!”
As a member of Gen Z, Graft did not grow up with first-hand memories of John Lennon’s work as a Beatle, his later standalone career, or early death at the hands of an assassin, but Graft feels deeply that Lennon’s legacy should be secure among all generations.
“The Beatles is, like, the foundation of what music is today, in my opinion,” he says. “So I think that it’s pretty important to know who that is.”
The bus will be outside the Schwitzer Student Center and UIndy from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., May 7. Everyone is welcome.
“We would love to see anybody who’s never had a chance to check out a really high-end recording studio, anybody who’s maybe interested in that – either as a hobby or as a profession – whether they’re students or professionals,” Leonard said. “Anybody’s welcome!”