Cal Poly Pomona’s commitment to community engagement reverberated through the air on Jan. 27 as the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus culminated a three-day stop at Garey High School with the showing of a music video made by students.
Over the previous two days, 90 students from the Garey band were part of a music video produced on the Lennon Bus, a state-of-the-art mobile audio and HD video recording and production facility that aims to bring music education to schools across the country. Nearly 300 students involved with music and carrying perfect attendance records were given the opportunity to tour the bus.
The university’s Center for Community Engagement initiated and funded the bus visit. Additional funding was provided by the Cal Poly Pomona music department. Eight service-learning students in the music department discussed university life and career opportunities with the Garey band. Cal Poly Pomona also has a direct link: Luke Huisman (’15, music) is a studio engineer on the Lennon Bus.
“We are thrilled with the marvelous adventure that we had at Garey High following the one year-plus of planning that went into the Lennon Bus residency,” says Michael Millar, director of the Center for Community Engagement. “It truly takes a village to put on such a meaningful and successful event.”
Paying homage to John Lennon, the former Beatles member and an activist against the Vietnam War, about 800 Garey students formed a human peace sign. The bus visit, which offered students a glimpse into the professional music industry, is part of the center’s assortment of service-learning projects in the Pomona Unified School District.
Community engagement has been one of the guiding principles of university President Soraya M. Coley. This is the second time in four years that the Center for Community Engagement has been able to secure a Lennon Bus visit to a Pomona district school.