About the foundation 'Musicians without Borders'. The 'Mitrovica Rock School' initiative

Essay from the year 2017 in the subject Musicology - Miscellaneous, grade: Unknown, Griffith University (Queensland Conservatorium of Music), course: Bachelor of Music, language: English, abstract: Musicians without Borders was founded in 1999 and registered as a charitable foundation in 2000. The motto of the foundation is 'war divides, music connects' (Musicians without Borders, 2017). This motto is reflective of the purpose of the foundation, which is to unite people and communities through music. Musicians without Borders has established a range of music programs in numerous war-torn communities including Soy Música in El Salvador, Mitrovica Rock School in Mitrovica and Kosovo, Music Bridge in Northern Ireland, Palestine Community Music in Palestine, Rwanda Youth Music in Rwanda, Welcomes Notes in Italy, Germany and the Netherlands, and Community Music and Health in Uganda (Musicians without Borders, 2017). Laura Hassler, the founder and director of Musicians without Borders, studied cultural anthropology and music at Swarthmore College. She worked for the Friends (Quaker) Peace Committee and the Committee of Responsibility on Vietnam in Philadelphia, Thich Nhat Hahn's Vietnamese Buddhist Peace Delegation in Paris, and the US Fellowship of Reconciliation in New York in the 1970s. In 1977, Hassler moved to the Netherlands where she founded a World Music School and later founded Musicians without Borders in 1999 (Musicians without Borders, 2017). This essay explores the Mitrovica Rock School initiative, which was established in August 2008 with the aim of providing a 'neutral platform for youth from both sides of ethnically divided Mitrovica to meet as young musicians and aspiring rock stars' (Peace Direct, 2016). In particular, the success of this initiative in achieving its social goals will be measured as well as the extent of the outcomes. Ultimately, the Mitrovica Rock School initiative will be critically evaluated to determine its effectiveness in bringing about positive social change.

Platinum Griffith Graduate of Influence Award recipient Kassidy-Rose McMahon (B.Mus.) is a Brisbane-based music teacher with an inextinguishable passion for education.