Museum of

Philippine Music
An Interactive Museum of Sound and Performance Venue
Background
• Music in the past was treated as separated from culture
• ‘Music as a static expression of collective identity’ to ‘music as a
process that performs a major role in shaping and shaped by culture’
• Instead of gaining its meaning by somehow becoming part of a
context, music itself is a context through which other forms of equally
primary activity achieve meaning.”
• Music is a dynamic force that shapes cultures; it not just ‘humanly
organized sound’ but ‘soundly organized humanity’. (Blacking, 1973)
Background
• Music then is seen as a powerful medium of communication in society
• It has shared meanings that reflect and promote the development of
society
• From the simplistic beats of tribes to fugues of classical composers
the progression of societies has been correlated with its music
• On a social level it is an expression of emotion through soundwaves
with varying purposes: religious, ceremonial, recreational, artistic,
revolutionary, etc. (Shepherd, 2015)
• Dominant music, compositions and consumption, can be seen as a
reflection of the ideology and culture of a society
Background
• The Philippines is culturally rich and diverse in its music history.
• The multitude of cultures and colonializations has given us a breadth
of music influences and cultures
• Traditional folk music of the indigenous tribes to the current
progression of mainstream popular music heavily influenced by the
west. (Canave-Dioquino, 2015b).
• The progression of our society can be seen in the changes in music
and its preservation is vital in helping understand our cultural
identity
Problem
• According to Felipe M. de Leon, Jr., former Chair of the Philippines
National for Culture and Arts:

“Philippine music is rich beyond compare. Most Philippine music is

rich beyond compare. Most Filipinos, however, do not know this
wealth, victims as they are of a broadcast media that propagate
Western, particularly American entertainment music, day in and day
out.
• The appreciation for Philippine music is waning due to the heavy
influence of western entertainment music.
• The current generation is so immersed with commercial music that
they are not given the chance to cultivate their love for it.
Problem
• Currently, there are few venues for the history and culture of Filipino
music to be both exhibited and performed
• The preservation and promotion of culture has always been the role of
museums.
• Museums present the cultural wealth of a nation (Günay, 2012)
• As a means of further promoting Filipino music in the best way
possible, architecture can accentuate the experience of space
• The problem for this thesis is designing a museum for Philippine Music
showcasing its history and culture.
Project Goals and Objectives
• The main goal of this project is to highlight and promote Filipino
music, its history, and culture in a music museum. The researcher
aims to achieve this through the following objectives:

1. To promote the diversity of Philippine music, its culture, and contributions to

the general public

2. To let people experience and reminisce our Philippine musical tradition.

(De Leon, 2009)

3. To educate people regarding Filipino music, how it shaped and shapes

society, its influences, and peculiarities
Design Objectives
1. To design a museum that will preserve, restore, and showcase
Philippine music to the general public

2. To design a museum that houses spaces for museum goers to

interact with each other, the exhibits, and their environment.

3. To design a museum that innovates the way it exhibits provide an

enjoyable informal education to its visitors
Concept
• Architecture as “music
embodied in space” and Music
as “architecture embodied in
time.”
• Creating Harmony: Connecting
Architecture, Experience, and
Exhibits in a Museum Setting
Storyline
1. Music of Indigenous Southeast Asian Filipinos: Indigenous

Harmony with the Creative Forces of Nature

National
2. Music of the Moros or Muslim Filipino Cultures: Identity
Moro Filipino

The Courtly Elegance of Islamic Unity

3. Music of the Lowland Folk Villages: The Way of

the Fiesta

4. Music of Popular Sentiments: The Sanctity of Social

the Home Concern and
Cultural
Lowland Folk
Village
Freedom
5. Music of the Concert Hall: The Autonomy of
Music

6. Music for Mass Entertainment: The

Consumerist Lifestyle
Mass
Popular
Entertainmen
7. Music of Social Concern and Cultural Freedom: t
Sentiment

A Force for Social Transformation

Concert Hall
8. Music for National Identity: Being Filipino
Site
• Site is located in Cluster 2: The Art Sanctuary
 A cultural core which will  house new indoor and outdoor
performing arts venues.

• CCP Complex Approach

 Set new standards for culture and the arts and promote
greater, social responsibility and gender sensitivity.
 Complement traditional methods of disseminating and
inculcating values to the citizenry and nation building
through information technology.
 Promote culture consciousness and nurture creativity and
imagination among Filipinos, as well as establish
opportunities to develop skills and talents in formal and non
formal setup.
 Initiate as well as participate in international cultural
events.
 Develop multimedia facilities for values education
programs.
 Establish venues for cultural exchange.
 Site Analysis
• The project site is
near great points
of interest and is
inside the CCP Design Center of
Development the Philippines

Complex

• Since the site is in

a coastal area, it
Folk Arts
is at high risk Theater Site
during tsunamis
and liquefaction 11,500.00 sq.m

• It is in the center
of places of
cultural
importance it can
promote these
venues

• The new Folk Arts Plaza

reclamation area
might disrupt the P.I.C.C.
potential of the
site
Legend
Public Vehicles
Service Vehicles
Office Executive Vehicles

Pedestrian Access

Site Development Plan

 Evolution of Form

Indigen
ous
Nationa
Moro
l
Filipino
Identity

Social
Concer
Lowlan
n and
d Folk
Cultural
Village
Freedo
m

Mass Popular
Entertai Sentim
nment ent
Concert
Hall

Storyline/ Massing Elevate Main Circulation

Space
“Enclosed “Floating
Galleries Openness” Effect”
“Grounded Flight”
Evolution of Form
Evolution of Form
Ground Floor Plan
Second Floor Plan
Roof Deck Plan
Elevations
Section
Architectural Bay Section