News
RBR Kids Take Magical Mystery Tour
By John Burton
LITTLE SILVER - "Imagine" asked the late musician John Lennon in one of his most famous compositions. But thanks to the John Lennon Educational Bus, a handful of students at Red Bank Regional High School's performing arts and music technology programs last Thursday didn't have to imagine what it would be like to write, record and mix their own music video.
The John Lennon Educational Bus Tour has the endorsement of the former Beatle's widow, Yoko Ono, and is supported by corporate underwriting. The portable music and video studio travels as much as 65,000 miles a year, visiting schools and youth facilities to encourage creativity and give young people the opportunity to work hands on with state of the art equipment and professionals in the field.
The bus's visit to Red Bank Regional came about through a relative of an RBR student. The relative works with the program and was able to arrange the visit, Band Director Kerry McNulty said last week. "I'm thrilled we could get them here."
Nine high school students from the music and music technology programs were selected to participate in the Lennon program. The students collaborated on writing a song which was performed by students playing instruments and singing. The kids were able to "see a professional studio with all the bells and whistles," McNulty said, noting that as a school, "We could never afford that."
The program for the kids is sort of like, "field day but for music," she said.
The kids performed a pop-rock number which McNulty described as a "catchy, radio friendly song."
"For me it's really fun to have the kids involved in this," said McNulty, who plays in a rock band on weekends.
"It's cool for me because I'm a huge John Lennon fan," she acknowledged. "I'm actually kind of jealous."
For student Matt Dubrow, Shrewsbury, who also plays in the school's band, "It is one of the most interesting things I've done in my life."
"We got technicians who are used to hearing so many types of music," he said. "It's awesome."
Matt plays in his own band with his brother Chris, who is also a student - the Choosey Beggars - that Matt described, "as if Van Morrison and the Stones got together."
The Stones? Van Morrison? from teenagers in 2010? "You would be surprised," McNulty said. "You get kids who really know about the art of music."
"We get to see a lot of talented kids," explained Chris Walker, who drives the bus. "And the guys are really good about pulling what they need from the kids."
Walker, who lives in Burbank, California, when he's not on the road, said he has spent more than 25 years working as a tour and road manager for Motown, and had recently been on tour with the Black Eyed Peas. "It's a good gig," he said of this job, which keeps him on the road for about 200 days a year, but allows him to come in contact with young, enthusiastic and possibly future artists. Besides, he added, with the kids, "No egos, no attitudes."
"We work with kids who've never touched an instrument to kids who are completely proficient," said Kevin Hoy, producer/engineer. Hoy attended college to become a teacher, but always maintained a love for music and this job is, "an amalgamation of the two," he said.
"It's fantastic knowing you're giving kids an experience they may not have otherwise had the opportunity," he said.
Matt Debrow, who said he preferred the Beach Boys to the Beatles, hopes to study acting when he goes to college but, "music will always be there."
Along with the songwriting, technical work and performing, students have their own record label with the school - Swashbuckler Records - and had to draft their own recording contract, McNulty explained. "They're learning about the industry," she said. "I think it's real career training."
