Juliana de Freitas

It’s been said before that music is the universal language of mankind. From tone to style, it has crossed boundaries and paved ways for social change and interaction, going beyond physical space and time. It is part of all our daily lives and has shown many benefits for brain development and neurostimulation, yet music education is still limited in its accessibility today. This project intends to bring music education to the forefront of the community of Sophiatown, a community in Johannesburg who’s rich and tragic history is coloured with the sounds of Hugh Masekela, Miriam Makeba, Dolly Rathebe and many more. This thesis will examine the cognitive benefits of music on brain development and neural stimulation, whilst emphasizing how sonic spaces can enhance an educational environment and foster deeper engagement with music.

The building will take its form as a music school that integrates an archive centre and performance spaces, where students will be encouraged to learn and perform together, while the musical histories of past and present performers are recorded for safekeeping, exhibition, and further learning. These spaces will be carefully considered using sound, not only in terms of acoustic design, but also as a design tool for form making and analysing its influence on our perceptions of space, thus creating an educational environment where both the individual and collective power of music can be observed. The research will explore the intersections between architecture, sound, phenomenology, and neuroscience, proposing an approach to architectural design that prioritizes our auditory experiences and cognitive stimulation.