Mitrovica Rock School

Recently, we asked our Rock School students what the "most significant change" was that they had experienced since joining our program.

Among the many positive developments, the change we are most proud of is the depth of social connection and cross-community friendship that MRS has fostered among its participants, an outcome that extends well beyond our core objective of music education.

MRS was established on the premise that shared musicianship can create genuine, sustained contact between young people from different communities in a city where such contact remains rare and feels unsafe. This year's feedback from participants suggests that this premise is being realised in practice.

When asked in a survey conducted in June 2026 to reflect on the most significant change in their lives, the majority of participants referred to changes in their social world. Several themes emerged consistently across responses:

• Expanded social networks across community lines: Participants repeatedly described meeting new people and forming friendships they would not otherwise have had the opportunity to form. As one participant noted: "Since joining the school, I have met new people, made new friends, and become more connected with others through our shared interest in music." Another described the change more concisely: "I met a lot of new friends."
• Increased social confidence and reduced sense of judgment: A number of participants described feeling more comfortable in social settings generally, not only within the school. One participant wrote: “I think the way that I can connect more easily with people without feeling judged." Another linked this directly to public performance: "I can say I feel a lot more comfortable getting on stage and performing in front of a crowd."
• A shift in self-perception and identity: Perhaps the most striking response came from a participant who observed: "People started to think of me more as a musician than just me." This comment reflects a subtle but important shift, from being perceived primarily through the lens of perhaps a social category, to being recognised on the basis of a shared, chosen identity as a musician.
• Spillover into family and community life: Several participants indicated that these changes extended beyond the school itself. One noted that "my family has also been supportive and happy to see my progress, and music has helped me feel more connected to my community." Another described increased engagement at home: "It has also given me something positive to talk about and share with my family."

The questions we asked were open questions. Participants were not asked specifically about inter-ethnic contact or social cohesion. Nonetheless, themes of connection, friendship, and reduced social distance emerged spontaneously and consistently.

At the same time, we recognise the limits of this achievement. One respondent stated simply that they had experienced "nothing" in the way of change, a reminder that impact is not uniform across all participants and that some students remain more difficult to reach than others. We view this as an important, honest response, and it will inform how we approach engagement with less-connected participants going forward.

Taken as a whole, we believe our most significant achievement is that MRS has become, for many of its participants, one of the few spaces in the city where friendships are formed on the basis of shared interest rather than ethnic background, and where being seen as "a musician" can, for a young person in Mitrovica, be more significant than being seen as anything else.

Last year was a year full of ups and downs. Hard times for our region and city, as political tensions were high, and many crucial services stopped due to cuts in international aid. But mostly good times inside our school, where young musicians from both side of the divide connected, created, and invested in themselves and their future.

Our students travelled to Berlin and Skopje, together with Musicians Without Borders, Roma Rock School, Fontys Rockacademie, and Clash!. Our teachers and student-trainees received training and master classes at the Rockacademie in the Netherlands. 

Here's what our project Music Connects achieved in 2025: 

• 141 young musicians (98 from North and South Mitrovica, 43 from Skopje) participated in 3,009 music lessons, mixed band rehearsals and workshops.
• 19 teachers and trainees from Mitrovica Rock School and Roma Rock School received teacher training from the Dutch Fontys Rockacademie.
• 12 ethnically mixed bands with 58 members rehearsed, recorded, and performed their original songs.
• Two supergroups with 8 members from Mitrovica Rock School and Roma Rock School performed their original songs in Berlin. 
• We delivered two training weeks in Mitrovica, one training in Skopje, a summer school in Skopje, an exchange in Berlin, and teacher training in the Netherlands. 
• We organized 8 concerts, 40 training sessions, and spent 29 days in the studio.
• We reached an audience of approximately 4.4m with 15 press reports in four languages.

On behalf of the entire Mitrovica Rock School team, we thank you for your support.

Links:

• About Mitrovica Rock School