HeartBeat
Jerusalem: Musical young Palestinian,
Israeli
rappers, singers,
songwriters harmonize well
Monday, 21
April 2008
HEARTBEAT JERUSALEM is a newborn band of 12 young
Palestinians and Israelis - Muslim, Christian and Jewish high school musicians.
Despite - perhaps, because of - recycled conflicts
and behavior around them, they meet once a week in a Jerusalem studio.
Teen Arab and Jews jam, write songs together, and
share each other's unique musical heritage and stories.
Ongoing auditions are finding rappers,
musicians, singers and instrumentalists familiar with both old school and
modern music.
Incorporating Eastern rhythm and scales, the music
styles range from Israeli folk and funk, to Arab rap.
"Music can build trust and break down walls of
fear," says creator, Aaron Shneyer ( Aaron@HeartBeatJerusalem.org ) .
Shneyer's dream to create an
ensemble of Israeli and Palestinian high school musicians in Jerusalem was
boosted by his recent Fulbright and MTVu
scholarship.
Like the peace process itself, Aaron Shneyer's dream didn't just "happen" but came to
life by step by step, personal preparation.
Shneyer's intentional,
authentic, life-shaping experiences included (1) leadership with Seeds of Peace
- http://seedsofpeace.org
, (2) facilitating Arab-Jewish student Dialogue at Georgetown University, and
(3) a year in New York City bringing music to at-risk youth of Urban Dove - http://urbandove.org .
These attitude-leaders of creativity and relationship
building again remind us:
"Life is not about waiting
for the storm to pass.
"It's about learning how to dance in the
rain!"
And to rap, sing, and compose new songs.
A new dance of life.
Together, in a heartbeat.
Then SEE the Web site of
HEARTBEAT JERUSALEM at http://www.heartbeatjerusalem.org
.
Finally, READ more and VIEW VIDEOS to live by.
Where you live.
Everywhere.
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Published by Israel21c -- 15 April 2008
http://www.israel21c.org/bin/en.jsp?enDispWho=Articles%5El2070&enPage=BlankPage&enDisplay=view&enDispWhat=object&enVersion=0&enZone=Democracy&
When music is the food of peace
By Karin Kloosterman
It happened in Woodstock and in John Lennon and Yoko
Ono's bed. When used for democratic purposes, music is a universal language
that can negotiate peace.
So hopes Aaron Shneyer a
Georgetown University graduate from America. Armed with a BA in Anthropology,
the 24 year-old musician and songwriter has traveled to Jerusalem on a year long MTV and Fulbright scholarship to help make music
in the Middle East.
His ambitious plan is to unite Israeli and Palestinian
high school youth and turn them into a recording and performing band through
his project Heartbeat:Jerusalem.
Today there are 12 Muslim, Christian and Jewish high
school students in the band. Despite the ongoing conflicts in Jerusalem, they
meet once a week in a professional studio in the city where they jam, write
songs together and share each other's unique musical heritage.
After the auditioning process, which is ongoing, Shneyer selected rappers, musicians, singers and
instrumentalists familiar with both old school and modern music. Incorporating
Eastern rhythm and scales, the style of the music ranges from Israeli folk and
funk, to Arab rap.
"The kids are coming together and are focusing on
writing music and getting into what the music they are writing means," Shneyer tells ISRAEL21c. "They are becoming
comfortable with each other and are now just crossing into the territory of
getting into the conflict."
Most of the songs that the group is writing, he says,
come from an idea they've brought from home. Despite the recent terror attacks
and riots in Jerusalem, the meetings have run smoothly, Shneyer
reports on his regular blog updates. American-Israeli filmmaker Joshua Faudem has been filming the musical journey, to be made
into a documentary film.
Shneyer is no stranger to
talking the language of peace. He has been actively involved in the peace
dialogue, through directing a music program at the Seeds of Peace camps in
Maine and the Middle East, since 2005.
On mtvU, MTV's social action
website and music channel aired on college campuses, Shneyer
is providing a powerful outlet for the talented Israeli and Palestinian
musicians who likely would not otherwise meet.
"Music can build trust and break down walls of
fear," he says. "It's a slow process."
Two other long-established Israelis have been working
to bridge the divide between Israel and its neighbors through music.
One is world music composer and musician Yisrael Borochov of the East West
Ensemble. Borochov is Israel's version of Peter
Gabriel; The second is conductor Daniel Baremboim, who created the West-Eastern Divan Workshop and
Orchestra for more contemporary music.
Over on a blog he updates regularly, Shneyer adds videos of the jam sessions and discusses the
process. He writes, "Music, unlike any other medium, has a marked ability
to bring people together, strengthen voices and inspire hope in the darkest of
places."
By the end of the year together, Shneyer
hopes the band will play on - and that the group will perform, develop
workshops and record a CD which they will take back to their schools and
communities.
Who knows, maybe they will be the first
Israeli-Palestinian band to have a hit on MTV.