Jewish, Christian & Muslim Children from Israel Perform in Peace Drums Steel Band

If you ask Philadelphia musician Harvey Price what's the best way to resolve conflict, he'll say, "Make music together." And, that's exactly what he has done for seven years. With the goal of bringing together children who are Jewish, Christian and Muslim in the Galilee region of Israel, Price has encouraged peacemaking and social impact through the Peace Drums Steel Band. And, now, the band is returning to the United States, with a new set of band members, to demonstrate their camaraderie in performances in Philadelphia, PA and Wilmington, DE in April 2020.

In 2013, Price had the dream to form a steel band of Jewish and Arab students in Israel to encourage them to connect with the shared goal of playing steel drums in a band. With the support of clergy from Delaware Churches for Mid-East Peace, that dream became a reality. It was Price and Israeli Michael Chacour who negotiated alliances among Israeli, Arab and Jewish partner schools. The initial 20 students that started in the band in 2013 has grown to 150 students currently participating in Peace Drums.

Now, four years after their initial US tour, an ensemble of 25 middle school musicians from the Peace Drums cohort is coming to the United States to demonstrate their new passion for Caribbean steel drum music as well as their commitment to each other for a shared society.

The mission of the Peace Drums Steel Band has gotten tremendous support in the past few years. In addition to the United States State Department that provided a USAID grant administered by the U.S. Embassy in Israel, The Peace Drums tour is also supported by Peace Drums US and Peace Drums Israel.

The Peace Drums performances will take place April 17 through April 22, 2020 in Philadelphia and Wilmington, giving the following performances:

Friday, April 17 - 7:30 p.m. in Wilmington, DE. Free Admission

Grace United Methodist Church, 900 Washington St, Wilmington, DE 19801

Saturday, April 18 - 7:30p.m. in Philadelphia. $75 ticket to the annual fundraiser

Congregation Rodeph Shalom, 615 N Broad St, Philadelphia, PA 19123

Sunday, April 19 - 2 p.m. in Bryn Mawr, PA. Free Admission

Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, 625 Montgomery Ave, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010

Tuesday, April 21 - 7 p.m. - New Castle, DE. Free Admission

Gunning Bedford Middle School, 801 Cox Neck Rd, New Castle, DE 19720

Wednesday, April 22 - 7:30pm - Elkins Park, PA. Free Admission

Congregation Adath Jeshurun, 7763 Old York Road Elkins Park PA 19027

Harvey Price explains the use of the steel drum for this peace mission. He said, "When I first started teaching students to play steel drums, I noticed they formed a really nice bond. Using steel drums seemed ideal because they are instruments from Trinidad and have nothing to do with either culture - Arab or Jewish - and it's something brand new for all the students. In addition, the steel drum itself was born out of conflict in Trinidad and Tobago and used for conflict resolution." Price, who travels to Israel several times a year to work with the students and their teachers, is excited and enthusiastic about this second US Tour. He added, "I can't wait to see the response to the students when they are here in the United States demonstrating their love for the instrument and their appreciation of each other. It is my dream that they become models for others, who will come together through music and focus on their similarities instead of differences."

Being supported by the USAID is quite an honor. The USAID West Bank/Gaza and the U.S. Embassy in Israel jointly invest in Conflict Management and Mitigation (CMM) grants, which support Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel, working on issues of common concern. The CMM program is part of a worldwide effort to bring together individuals of different backgrounds in people-to-people reconciliation activities. These activities provide opportunities to address issues, reconcile differences, and promote greater understanding and mutual trust by working on common goals such as economic development, environment, health, education, sports, music, and information technology.

For more information, visit http://peacedrumsproject.org

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