Mitrovica Rock School

Dear friend of Mitrovica Rock School,

2024 was not easy on our city: we have lived through another year of intensifying escalation, and we share a growing concern for the future. But we are proud to say that, despite the hardship, our Rock School has stood strong and stayed loud.

More young people signed up for classes, and more joined our mixed band program. These bands rehearsed and performed in Mitrovica, Skopje, Brussels and Berlin. We organized concerts in North and South Mitrovica, and we hosted festivals organized by alumni, friends and partners.

Our teachers and trainees travelled together to the Netherlands for training at Fontys Rockacademie. And we worked closely with our partners, Musicians Without Borders, Roma Rock School, Fontys Rockacademie, Clash!, and Balkan Trafik! Festival, to implement our Creative Europe project to promote reconciliation through state-of-the-art rock music education. 

With 71 participants, this year's Summer School was bigger than ever. Ten mixed bands participated, writing, recording, and performing original songs in the span of just seven days. Check out the video above for a one-minute impression!

We end the year concerned for our city, but brightened by the talent and promise of our young musicians, and committed to continuing to make Mitrovica a better, more livable place for all.

Here's what our project Music Connects achieved in 2024: 

• 128 young musicians (81 from North and South Mitrovica, 47 from Skopje) participated in 3,119 music lessons, mixed band rehearsals and workshops.
• 17 teachers and trainees from Mitrovica Rock School and Roma Rock School received teacher training from the Dutch Fontys Rockacademie.
• 14 ethnically mixed bands with 58 members rehearsed, recorded, and performed their original songs.
• Four supergroups with 15 members from Mitrovica Rock School, Roma Rock School, and Fontys Rockacademie performed in Brussels and Berlin. 
• We organized 32 workshops, 8 concerts, 17 training sessions, and spent 12 days in the studio. 
• We reached 467,000 people through 11 press reports in three languages.

Even though the Rock School has been open for the past 16 years, we still rely heavily on voluntary donations for funding. If you are able to give today, you could help it continue to provide unique opportunities for the youth of Mitrovica. Please consider donating what you're able to spare. 

Links:

• 2024 Summer School for mixed bands