By Lisa Broadt

Imagine your typical American teen rocking out to MTV’s trendy pop music. And now imagine the war torn border between Jerusalem and Palestine. Try putting the two together: difficult, possibly impossible? That’s just what one student is trying to do.
            Aaron Shneyer, a recent Georgetown University graduate, is one of four students to receive this year’s mtvU/Fulbright scholarship, an award which allows each student to conduct research abroad for one year on study projects of their choice regarding an aspect of international musical culture. Shneyer, of Rockville, MD, is currently in Jerusalem, and will shortly begin teaching music in Jerusalem to Israeli and Palestinian high-school students.
            The award, chosen by a panel of celebrity judges and mtvU/Fulbright representatives says Shneyer’s proposal stood out because it “hit squarely on the purpose of this fellowship -- to use the power of music as a force for global understanding.” Ross Martin, head of programming at mtvU, says the proposal was an “inspiring” one.
            MtvU also took into account Shneyer's academic preparation. Shneyer’s work as an undergraduate studying music and anthropology has prepared him well for this difficult task. For Shneyer, studying anthropology was a formative decision and one that inspired him to begin his humanitarian efforts. “It was “simply eye-opening and deeply inspiring.  I was very lucky to have many ‘activist anthropologist’ professors, who weren't just talking about the world, but were actually working very hard to fight injustices and make positive change in the world,” says Shneyer.
            Not only did Georgetown’s program and professors prepare him for the challenges of dealing with social injustice, but as a music minor, Shneyer had the chance develop the musical preparation that he will need to bring his students together in Jerusalem. Shneyer describes his experience at Georgetown as “wonderful,” and highlights the best experiences as having the chances to “record my own album, develop my jazz skills, and perform with Bobby McFerrin.”  
            Outside of the classroom, Shneyer developed an impressive resume of extracurricular activities. One of his most impressive was his position as coordinator of the Georgetown Jewish-Arab Living Room Dialogue, which invited all students to find solutions to the conflict in the Middle East. Shneyer believes that the group “helped to stress compassionate listening and relationship building in an attempt to alleviate intra-group tensions on campus.” Shneyer’s passion for the program was one of the factors that interested the mtvU/Fulbright judges. Says head of programming Martin, “we were very impressed with Aaron's track record in using activism as a means for conflict resolution.”
            Shneyer knew that the mtvU/Fulbright program was a good fit for him as well. “I went online, happened to see that they were looking for projects to study 'the power of music to create mutual understanding' and was completely shocked.  I feel like I've been preparing for this project for many years.”
            Shneyer would need all his preparation in conflict resolution and music for when he arrived in Jerusalem, the center of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Even though Shneyer is taking on an incredibly difficult task, those who know him best believe he will do it with a sense of fun. Says Dean Ryan Maher, a mentor to Shneyer while at Georgetown, “he engages in some serious stuff, but he doesn’t take himself too seriously.”
            His project, named “Heartbeat: Jerusalem” is currently auditioning eight to ten high school music students to be in a musical program that will include equal numbers of Israelis and Palestinians. Shneyer stresses that the program will highlight diversity not only in ethnicity but in musicality as well: traditional and contemporary instruments and musical styles will be included, ranging from Oud players to hip-hop emcees.
            In mid-November, “Heartbeat: Jerusalem” will begin to come together for weekly meetings that will consist of brief workshops led by professional musicians followed by two hours devoted to writing or sharing songs and playing music together. Professional musicians and facilitators will also lead presentations on traditional and modern Arab and Jewish music.  In the second part of each meeting, the participants will be invited to introduce and teach the songs to their peers and discuss their meanings.  The intention, says Shneyer is that through these meetings, students will “harness their skills of musical expression, deepen their understanding of each other, learn a wide variety of musical styles and realize the power of their individual and collective voices.” Once ready, the ensemble will bring their experience to their schools and into the larger community through live performances and audio-recordings.
            While mtvU/Fulbright provides four different sites including South Africa, Cambodia, and Panama, for Shneyer, there was no choice but Jerusalem. Although there have been many groups within Jerusalem intended to bring together Israel and Palestinian youth, there has never before been a group using the medium of “popular, modern music.” This possibility greatly enthused Shneyer. “Music is an amazingly powerful way to bring people together and allow them to express themselves. I wanted to create something that was much more than just a chance to meet the 'other side.' I want this ensemble to show these students that their voice is being listened to and that they have the power to influence their situation.”
            Despite the difficulty of the area, Shneyer says that he is adjusting well to life so far away from home. “It's been great so far.  Because of my work with Seeds of Peace, I have tons of friends here and a great network to start from.” Shneyer’s time with mtvU/Fulbright will last through the next academic year, but he has not formalized plans for the future: “I'm still not quite sure what's next.  I prefer to take it one day at a time.”
            Mentor and friend to Shneyer, Dean Ryan Meyer is more concrete, “Aaron will always be at the intersection of cultures and religions that other people would be uncomfortable with. He has gifts, and he will use them professionally.”

You can follow Aaron as he blogs about his experience at:
http://www.mtvufulbright.com/category/aaron/