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Some Thoughts about my Thesis

What is my Thesis about?

Narrative:

Growing up in Puerto Rico and being able to travel made me realize how fascinating our culture is in regards to live musical performance. Music has always been part of our daily lives in Puerto Rico…I remember when I was a child my family would be driving through a neighborhood and run into traffic unexpectedly. My dad always opened the window and turned down the radio to hear what was going on. He knew there was a party; Jibaro music poured out onto the streets inadvertently inviting each person that passed by to come and join in. As people join in, they contribute to the party with food, drinks and musical instruments of their own. What was started as an impromptu musical performance becomes a neighborhood party where everyone picks an instrument and joins the band. This spirit of togetherness and the opportunity for strangers to meet one another and share their talents and passion is what comes to mind when I think of my native music. I want to share this music, and the history of it with others. The most logical way for me to facilitate this desire is to build a structure which educates, inspires, and shares in the history of Puerto Rican music.

The Puerto Rican Music Learning Center tries to capture the essence of Puerto Rican Jibaro Music, its performances and celebrations.[1] The Learning Center creates a musical community of its own within the Historical District of San German that opens itself to the outside allowing interaction with the city. The music pours onto the streets inviting citizens to join in and celebrate as well as to learn about the significance of this colorful culture.

What is it?

My thesis is an exploration of the usage of architectural language as an instrument for the fostering of Puerto Rican Jibaro music. This shall be achieved through a mixture of indoor and outdoor spaces that represent Puerto Rican culture and encourage community interaction through live musical performances, teaching and educational exhibits.
What is it for?

Two main outdoor performance spaces will serve as pavilions for concerts, festivals and private events. Retail shops will be available for local artists to showcase their arts and crafts as well as food shops catering local cuisine. There is also an educational part of the building containing a Puerto Rican Music Museum as well as class rooms where Jibaro music and instrument building is taught.
What does it portray?

It portrays Puerto Rican Jibaro Music and its people, their culture and geographical location through architectural spaces, the choice of materials and construction methods.
What does it provide to the community?

The complex provides the community with a civic and educational facility that fosters the knowledge about Puerto Rican music and encourages social interaction between its citizens. Who is it for?

The complex is intended to be a catalyst for the younger Puerto Rican generation particularly towards primary and secondary students. During the day, the learning center and museum will work in conjunction with local and regional schools bringing in students to take classes and learn about Puerto Rican Jibaro Music. During the night it will be featuring classes, seminars, lectures and instrument building workshops to the general public. There will be concerts offered throughout the year sponsored by the City of San German and the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture department. What does it do?

Contextually, the building is meant to create an urban language that takes advantage of the topography of the site. This is by having different access levels throughout the site and carving spaces from the existing hill. Different indoor spaces are interconnected with a series of outdoor plazas and promenades which put emphasis on the pedestrian experience throughout the site. The complex establishes a connection with the existing Porta Coeli Museum to bring more pedestrian movement from the city through its grand staircase towards the Learning Center. Where is it going and why?

The proposed site for my thesis project is located in the city of San German, Puerto Rico; which is situated in the southwestern region of the island. The city was founded by Spaniards in 1573; it is the second oldest city in the island, after the capitol San Juan. The site is located next to one of the oldest church structures in the American continent. The church was built in 1606 and is now a religious museum; the structure is an Architectural Icon and the main tourist attraction of the city of San German. The site wraps around the Porta Coeli’s base offering excellent views of the “Cordillera Central’ mountain range and San German’s country side. The west region of the island has always been given the least significance in comparison to the northeast part where the island’s capital San Juan is located. A complex like this will provide San German with world-class music performance spaces and total experiential architecture that reflects the best of Puerto Rican music. Who is the audience?

The complex is intended to create an environment where the young generation is encouraged to learn and appreciate the music of Puerto Rico. The architecture will embrace the new generation while recognizing the old. What is going to happen there?

At the pavilion there will be free concerts by local and national artists as well it will be available to the open public for impromptu performances. People will come for classes, seminars and concerts. An instrument shop will allow people to learn how to build their own instruments as well as to play them. Kiosks type of spaces will be provided for local food and crafts along with a restaurant and a live music bar. The promenade between the buildings will incorporate an interactive-user activated type of installation. People will be able to make music themselves by speaking, touching and moving. When is it going to happen?

All year long events will take advantage of the tropical climate and use the outdoor performance spaces. The mixture of restaurants, cafes and bars will bring people to the building and the city regardless if there is any concert or mayor event. Who is going to pay for it and why?

The construction and maintenance of the building will be carried out by the City of San German government together with the Puerto Rican Culture Institute. Festivals and special events will be celebrated to raise additional funding for the maintenance and staffing of the complex. What constitutes the program?

The educational portion of the building includes 4 classrooms, 6 practice studios, 2 ensemble studios, 1 instrument building shop, 4 administrative offices, ect. Performance spaces are the following: 200-seat recital hall, 700-seat outdoor pavilion with movable roof, 800-capacity open-air amphitheater. In addition there will be a restaurant, 1 live music bar, 2 cafes, 1 coffee shop/art gallery, 1 music/retail shop. The site will also provide an underground parking facility, which is important in an area where parking is scarce.

Musical Brainstorm:

Human Aspects:

Sentimental, pleasure, intimate, joyful, moody, inspiring, stressful, calming, thoughtful, spontaneous, ethereal, real, personal, identity, public, perceived, ignored, passionate, effortless, bright, dark, colorful, plain, strong, weak, loud, undertone, hard, soft, verbal, lyrical, expressive, reminiscent, novel, brilliant, obtuse, memory, energetic, anecdotal, descriptive, journey…

Technical Aspects:

Note, tone, time, rhythmic, beat, pause, flow, proportional, arbitrary, changeable, static, variable, consistent, repetitive, rigid, flexible, structured, makeshift, high, low, spectral, time, calculated, precise, spaced, equal, pitch, sharp, full, reflective, reverberate, fusion, diffuse, beginning, end, responsive…

Abstract Aspects:

Communicates, tactual, visual, pervasive, portable, flavored, creates, detachment, phenomenal, dense…

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[1] For a definition of Jibaro Music click on the following link: http://www.cuatro-pr.org/Home/Eng/Instrmus/Genres/genres.htm