Lennon's legacy still inspiring music in children

The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus is a non-profit state-of-the-art mobile audio and HD video recording and production facility. In its 19th year, with the very newest technology and gear, the Bus continues to be dedicated to providing young people with tours of the studios and participation in free digital media production workshops. Assisted by three on-board engineers, students can learn how to write, record, and produce original songs, music videos, documentaries, and live multi-camera video productions streamed to the web in real-time – all in one day! The Bus travels the country visiting schools, music and technology conferences and events, and partners with communities and media outlets to call attention to the importance of arts and digital media education.

Going natural in education

Finding conformity to be exhausting, Lora Smothers went natural. With her passion for education, she believes that going natural is the secret to teaching children to explore and develop their unique interests and curiosities.
Very interesting TED talk...food for thought.

Are schools built for learning?

"It’s an absolutely amazing time to be a learner.”
Will Richardson has spent the last dozen years developing an international reputation as a leading thinker and writer about the intersection of social online learning networks and education and has authored four books, including "Why School? How Education Must Change When Learning and Information are Everywhere", now the #1 best-selling TED book ever. A former public school educator of 22 years, Will is also co-founder of Modern Learner Media and co-publisher of ModernLearners.com, which is a site dedicated to helping educational leaders and policy makers develop new contexts for new conversations around education. Will believes that there is a real disconnect between our beliefs about schooling and the practices that we embrace in schools. For meaningful change to occur in education, we must start with what be believe about how kids learn and what’s important about education.
-- Read My Pedagogic Creed by John Dewey

What the Arts Teach Us

P.S. ARTS is dedicated to improving the lives of children by providing high-quality arts education to California’s underserved public schools and communities. It is the only organization in Southern and Central California that provides yearlong arts education in dance, music, theater, and visual arts to every child in a school during the regular school day. Without their programs, children in these underfunded school districts would not have access to the arts. Dr. Kristen Paglia is the CEO of P.S. ARTS, and has worked to keep educational equity and excellence for all children at the center of their mission.

Connect the World through the Arts

"The clearest reason for music and culture is that it gives us meaning" - Yo-Yo Ma
"The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble" tells the extraordinary story of the renowned international musical collective created by legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma. The new feature-length documentary follows this group of diverse instrumentalists, vocalists, composers, arrangers, visual artists and storytellers as they explore the power of music to preserve tradition, shape cultural evolution and inspire hope. Inspired by the exchange of ideas and traditions along the historical Silk Road, cellist Yo-Yo Ma established Silkroad in 1998 to explore how the arts can advance global understanding. Silkroad works to connect the world through the arts, focusing its efforts in three areas: musical performance, learning programs, and cultural entrepreneurship.