Mitrovica Rock School

In the former Yugoslavia’s most divided city, kids are coming together to defy old hatreds. And they’re being gloriously loud about it!

Welcome to Mitrovica Rock School. Housed on both sides of the river Ibar, which runs through the divided city of Mitrovica, it’s the home of the mixed music scene in a city with a long and rich musical heritage. It’s the one place where young Serbs and Albanians can come together safely and build friendships using the strongest bond of all - music.

Over 70% of students are in ethnically mixed bands, or are eager to join one. In a city that has been strictly ethnically divided since 1999, and where interethnic interaction remains taboo, the appetites of young people to break down decades-old barriers is huge.

And that is exactly what they do, every day when class is in session. Getting together on either side of the river; writing, recording, releasing, and performing their original songs to crowds of like-minded people. People who want to move past the divides and into a unified future, for everyone. Because the Rock School’s impact doesn’t stop at the gates. It has been transforming the city since its inception in 2008.

It has been so successful that many residents cannot imagine the city without it. But sadly, they might have to.

Mitrovica Rock School is under threat through lack of funds from the beginning of 2027, and as funding for arts and community projects dries up and becomes more competitive, we are much more reliant on the individuals within our movement, such as yourself, to secure its future. Whatever you can give today will help keep the music playing in spite of all the challenges that the youth of Mitrovica face. These young musicians need this space. Can you help secure it?

Despite the challenges, the music still plays on, for now. And you can hear just one of the many songs to come out of Mitrovica Rock School by clicking below:

Affinity - Astray