Inspired by John Lennon’s legacy of peace and creativity, the Lennon Bus travels across North America providing music workshops to young people. Equipped with state-of-the-art technology and powered sustainably by Battle Born Batteries and solar energy, the bus offers a unique, mobile recording studio experience.
Last weekend, the Lennon Bus partnered with the RennerVation Foundation and Big Brothers Big Sisters to empower local foster youth through music. The culmination of the workshop was showcased at Artown, highlighting the transformative impact of creative expression.
The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus Inspires Creativity
Throughout his career as a world-renowned musician, John Lennon was always committed to ensuring his music accomplished more than the accolades he received. While Lennon’s impact on the music industry is undeniable with 25 Billboard Hot 100 hits, he desired to make a difference off the stage as well. As a leading voice for pacifism and ending the war, Lennon’s message continued throughout the music he had written.
“Together with wife and artist Yoko Ono, [Lennon] leveraged his fame to call attention to important issues regarding social justice, love, and peace, and they co-wrote the global anthem, Imagine.” Written and recorded in the early 1970s, Imagine was Lennon’s way of expressing his goal for a world where peace reigned, and socially constructed barriers were demolished. Even after Lennon’s tragic death in 1980, “Imagine” continued to inspire and influence people, keeping his legacy alive. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked “Imagine” number 3 on their list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.”
Inspired by the lasting impact her late husband left on the world, Yoko Ono teamed up with musician Brian Rothschild to provide young people with opportunities to create original art and media. Recognizing the power of music, especially in the lives on young people, Ono and Rothschild sought to provide a mobile and immersive experience with the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus. “Since 1998, Lennon Bus programs have provided millions of students with FREE events, workshops, interactive experiences, and hands-on opportunities to produce original audio, video, and broadcast projects reflective of their ideas and concerns.” This unparalleled music education experience gives kids the chance to express themselves through music and potentially discover a talent and passion they never knew that they had.
Bringing Music Education to Communities with Sustainable Power
As the Lennon Bus travels across North America, it goes to communities and schools of K-12 students to host multi-day workshops. During these workshops, students work with industry professionals to create original songs, music videos, short films, or documentaries. To effectively accomplish the goals of each workshop, the Lennon Bus is equipped with state-of-the-art technology.
Featuring a full Dolby Atmos recording studio, the bus is fully equipped to help students make music from anywhere in the world. Industry leading partners including Apple, Inc., the NAMM Foundation, Westlake Pro, and many more, have combined their expertise and equipment to create the ultimate recording studio on wheels.
Providing these extraordinary experiences requires an exceptional amount of power. While the Lennon Bus travels around the country, it is often stopped in areas that don’t have easy access grid-tied power. With worn out lead acid batteries supplemented by noisy generators; Brian Rothschild was ready for a power upgrade. With the help of Sin City Overland, they installed sixteen 270Ah 12V Battle Born LiFePO4 Deep Cycle Batteries and twelve 200W Rich Solar Panels. Additionally, a Wakespeed WS500 Advanced Alternator Regulator provides charging via the bus’s engine, and five 5000W 24V inverter/chargers provide adaptive charge technology.
“Transitioning the bus to lithium power takes the bus to a new level of sustainability, cost-savings, and improved experience with up to eight hours of runtime of the batteries alone, plus extended runtime with the availability of solar power,” Brian Rothschild noted. “The capabilities that Dragonfly Energy’s batteries have given us are beyond our expectations, and now we can truly just go out and use the bus as it is designed to, focus on the project at hand, rather than worry about generators, fuel and all the noise and cost that come with them.”
Inspiring the Next Generation with The Lennon Bus and RennerVation Foundation
After helping to equip the Lennon Bus with a revolutionary new power system, Dragonfly Energy partnered with them to make a difference in the lives of kids in our community. We invited the Lennon Bus to join us in Reno, Nevada this past weekend to bring the power of musical expression to local youth. Joining forces with actor Jeremy Renner and The RennerVation Foundation, we were able to reach youth directly in our community.
Jeremy Renner started the RennerVation Foundation with the goal of helping “every child, regardless of circumstances, has the opportunity to thrive and reach their full potential.” He recognized the impact of providing support and compassion to vulnerable children and directing them toward a future full of opportunities. “Kids need to have opportunities and when they have opportunities, our communities can grow. Kids deserve the opportunity to see, to touch, to feel, to learn, to grow, and at least it’s there on the shelf for them to grab at. And at least it’s there on the shelf for them to grab at. And if it’s not there, they won’t know about it.”
To help provide children with these opportunities, the RennerVation Foundation has a variety of programs throughout the year that are designed to “empower these young individuals with the tools and opportunities they need to grow up to be whatever they want to be, regardless of the challenges they may have faced in their past.” “The RennerVation Foundation is dedicated to serving children in foster care and at-risk youth by providing them with a safe haven and targeted programs to develop their skills, confidence and opportunities.”
A Musical Journey | Foster Youth Create Magic on the Lennon Bus
Specifically dedicated to helping foster children in Reno, we connected with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northern Nevada. Committed to nurturing children and strengthening communities, Big Brothers Big Sisters invests in the lives of the children in their program and provides mentorship and support to create a positive foundation to build their future on. Last weekend, six talented youth from the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northern Nevada were given a once in a lifetime opportunity to join Jeremey Renner inside the Lennon Bus to create an original song and music video together!
Following the bus’s arrival in Reno last Saturday, the kids arrived and met with Jeremy Renner and the professionals on board the Lennon Bus and began learning about the systems on board and started working on their song. On Sunday, the youth spent the whole day finishing their song and producing a music video. Throughout the weekend, they were able to take advantage of the Lennon Bus’s two state-of-the-art mobile recording studio. With its robust Battle Born Batteries power system, the Lennon bus was able to run all of the recording equipment and plus the A/C while parked off-grid all weekend.
As a grand finale to the weekend workshop, the music video that the kids created and a documentary of the process premiered at the kick off to Artown, a month long event in Reno, Nevada dedicated to “strengthening Reno’s arts industry, enhance our civic identity and national image, thereby creating a climate for the cultural and economic rebirth of our region.” It was an incredible evening showing off the work of our talented youth and giving the local community an inside look at the magic of the Lennon Bus and the impressive electrical system that powers it.
Rooted in Nevada | Dragonfly Energy’s Commitment to the Community
Since we first began assisting the Lennon Bus with their power overhaul, we’ve been honored to be a part of an organization dedicated to helping young people across the nation get access to a top-notch musical education. We’re so thankful to Jeremy Renner and the RennerVation Foundation, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northern Nevada, and the Lennon Bus for partnering with us to put on this incredible event. It was amazing to see the impact that creative expression through music has on these young people and share it with our community through Artown.
At Dragonfly Energy, we’re proud of our roots in northern Nevada and enjoy seeking out ways to be out and involved in our community. We love powering the Lennon Bus and partnering with the RennerVation Foundation and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northern Nevada. We look forward to future opportunities to come together and serve the youth in our community and help propel them to a bright future wrought with opportunity.
