About us
Mitrovica Rock School is a reconciliatory music program in the ethnically divided town of Mitrovica, Kosovo. Since its founding, the Rock School has been consistently led and attended by young musicians from the town’s two communities in equal shares.
The program is demand-driven, developed by and with musicians from North and South Mitrovica, and has grown into the town’s best known extracurricular program. Its out-of-the-box approach to reconciliation and minority inclusion has been hailed by international media, including the BBC, ARD, and NBC.
While the Rock School operates in a highly politicized environment, it attributes its success in bringing communities together to its neutral approach, allowing students to meet and connect on their own terms. This, and strong community support, have allowed the program to continue even during times of political unrest and social upheaval.
Evaluation
The program cooperates regularly with academic researchers, and has been evaluated by the War Trauma Foundation (2015), Griffith University and University of Melbourne (2021), and SOAS, University of London (ongoing).
Key facts and numbers
- Established in 2008
- 1,700 Rock School students to date
- 2,000 music lessons, workshops and band sessions per year
- 70 ethnically mixed bands formed to date
- Locations in North and South Mitrovica
- In-house recording studio
- Partners:
Jelena, singer, songwriter and guitarist
“This project encourages young people from both sides of the bridge to look past their differences and connect via music.”
Music Connects
Through Creative Europe project Music Connects, Mitrovica Rock School shares its methodology and organizes exchanges with Roma Rock School (North Macedonia). It also organizes joint activities with Clash! Exchange & Learning (Berlin), Balkan Trafik festival (Brussels), Fontys Rockacademie (Netherlands), and Musicians Without Borders (Netherlands).
Method
Mitrovica Rock School operates from school branches on either side of town. Youth join the school and attend music lessons, after which they are quickly placed into ethnically mixed bands. These bands write their own songs, a process which teaches compromise, leadership and communication skills. Most students attend rehearsals on the other side of town several times per month.
While participation in the mixed-band program is voluntary, most students choose to join. Mixed bands enjoy all kinds of opportunities, including studio recordings, school concerts, summer camps abroad and even performances in Brussels and Berlin.