Page 54 May 2015 By Mallory Gleich As Miss Haley’s sixth-grade class lined up outside the massive blue tour bus, their excitement was palpable; their eyes were wide and full of wonder. On March 26, the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus made a stop at St. Thomas the Apostle School in Phoenix. Throughout the day, each grade at St. Thomas took a tour of the inside of the bus and tried their hands at playing an instrument. So what’s in the inside of this bus, you may ask? A music studio. The bus is a portable, mobile music-making machine. “For two months out of the year, we travel around the country, teaching kids how to write and record music,” said Bryce Quig- Hartman, who’s an onboard engineer for the tour bus. The kids of St. Thomas had an opportunity to learn about the behind-the-scenes work that goes into producing and recording music, as well as experiment with playing a variety of instruments. Miss Haley’s class was split up: The girls toured the bus fi rst while the boys took to playing the instruments set up outside. There was a guitar, a bass guitar, drums and a keyboard set. The boys’ music could be heard from miles away. The girls, however, were much more reserved and after a minute or two of coaxing, one student sat down at the drums, and sound fi lled the air. Inside the bus are three separate studios that open up into one large studio. The front of the bus contains the audio and video production equipment. In the back is a recording and mixing studio. The technology is powered with Apple computers and Avid professional audio and video equipment. Nineteen years ago, Yoko Ono Lennon co-founded the John Lennon songwriting contest. The executive director of the tour bus, Brian Rothschild, was in a meeting with Yoko Ono Lennon and presented the idea of developing an educational music tour. One year after beginning the songwriting contest, they decided to create the bus tour in John John Lennon Educational Tour Bus brings complete musical experience to local school The tour bus arrived at St.Thomas to give the students a brief tour and music experience. Continued on page 56 Tino Ferrulli This all new state-of-the-art and efficient vehicle, with superior ride versatility, will be coming to the United States in late summer. Sounds like a regular release from Mercedes-Benz, right? You’re right! Except this will be a step above any base model SUV. It will have a 9G-TRONIC® nine-speed automatic transmission with 4MATIC® permanent all-wheel drive. It will also have Crosswind Assist® standard. Sorry, that’s all I can tell you for now. I’ll have more for you next month. Arriving Late Summer 2015 teamtino@mb-scottsdale.com 4725 North Scottsdale Road • Scottsdale, AZ 85251 2016 GLE 450 AMG® 4MATIC® Coupe Arizona Eye SPECIALISTS 7245 East Osborn Rd., #4 Scottsdale, Arizona 85251 480.994.5012 – (Optical Shop) – 300 East Osborn Rd., Suite 100 Phoenix, Arizona 85012 602.254.7255 – (Optical Shop) – 4915 E. Baseline Rd., Suite 114 Gilbert, Arizona 85234 480.830.0120 5620 W. Thunderbird Rd., #H-3 Glendale, Arizona 85306 602.547.2002 13555 W. McDowell Rd., Suite 102 Goodyear, Arizona 85395 623.209.0020 Cataracts – Premium IOL’s Oculoplastics & Cornea – Glaucoma – Macular Degeneration Diabetic Retinopathy – Routine Exam – Contact Lenses Call 480.994.5012 to schedule www.azeyemd.com

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