Music as a Response to Division

A blog by Filip Milovanović, professional session musician and drum teacher at Mitrovica Rock School. This blog was written as a contribution to the project “Cultural Canvas of Northern Kosovo,” and originally posted on the website of NGO ACDC.

Back in 2008, I heard that the Mitrovica Rock School was opening. Older musician friends from the city invited me to attend drum classes, and that’s how my life journey truly began.

Now, 16 years later, I teach at that very same school and work what is possibly the best job in the world.

I’m somewhat glad that music and the rock school taught me that differences in faith, religion, or skin color don’t really matter—because at the end of the day, we’re all here for the same reason: to create music.

Music has this unique power to overcome barriers that politics and history often place, simply because, on stage, you see musicians—not Serbs, Bosniaks, Albanians, and so on.

I had the chance to play and work with people from many different cultures, and now I realize how important that is in shaping a musician/human being, especially someone born in a “strange” place like this, where unfortunately there’s still a lot of hatred and perspectives that perhaps shouldn’t exist.

That’s why I believe we have to find ways to make the world a better place. I believe music does that every day. But if we, as people, don’t want to make that change, then I believe we face a serious problem.

Culture and music need no translation. Emotion is understood without words. That’s exactly why I believe the diversity we have should be seen as our greatest wealth—because by combining all these differences and cultures, we can create something truly valuable.

At the end of the day, multiethnic cooperation is not just an artistic act—it’s a social stance that shows something different is possible and achievable, if you truly want it.