We have chosen to present the music school in Lejre as a representative example of the many music facilities we have designed, planned, and built over the years.
The project in Lejre serves as a central music school for Lejre Municipality. All children from the municipality’s public schools are transported to this facility, where they receive instruction from professionally trained musicians. Instead of having 2–3 hours of music lessons per week, students attend a full day of music education approximately every third week.
The facility consists of a central courtyard surrounded by a shared building that includes a teachers’ lounge, restrooms, and a communal gathering space. Additionally, there are four individual buildings functioning as rehearsal rooms, each accommodating around 12 children. Each rehearsal space is optimized for a specific music genre, such as rhythmic music, vocal training, or string instruments. Each room also features a mini-mixing studio, allowing students to explore the world of digital music.
As a result of this initiative, all children in Lejre Municipality experience a structured music program in primary school, where they engage with all aspects of music, including singing, rhythm, and digital music. The lessons are carefully planned and taught by professional musicians.
Outside school hours, the music school is used by local bands. The central courtyard serves as a venue for intimate outdoor concerts in the summer and festive events during the holiday season.
The political decision to consolidate the municipality’s music education into one central location has resulted in Lejre having one of the highest levels of musical proficiency among children in Denmark. Additionally, it is financially advantageous for the municipality to maintain a single, well-equipped facility rather than multiple smaller ones. We believe other municipalities should consider a similar model, and we are, of course, available to assist in designing, planning, and potentially constructing a shared music school for any municipality interested in this approach.
We have been particularly active in Norway when it comes to constructing buildings for musical purposes. Over the years, we have completed approximately 40 projects across the country, from Stavanger in the south to Alta, north of the Arctic Circle.
We held a 5+3-year framework agreement with the Norwegian state, under which we were selected as the exclusive supplier of all buildings for musical use, financially supported by the Norwegian government. Other suppliers held framework agreements for items such as musical instruments and related equipment.
Over the course of these seven years, Norway has now been almost fully developed with music schools and rehearsal spaces for both the current and future generations.
With so many musical projects under our belt, we have gained expert-level knowledge in acoustics, ranging from harp music to heavy metal. We have developed a deep understanding of reverberation times, sound insulation, and, most importantly, the precise proportions of spaces to create the ideal acoustics for different types of music.
Additionally, we have gained significant experience working with both the Norwegian state and municipalities. Throughout the framework agreement period, we collaborated closely with over 30 Norwegian municipalities, as well as national authorities.
We have also acquired specialized skills in managing construction sites in remote and difficult-to-access locations. In Norway, transport times of 2–3 days are not uncommon—after all, it is a vast country.
From a business perspective, we have learned how to handle international contracts and mitigate currency risks, as the Norwegian krone fluctuated by approximately 40% during the framework agreement period.
The projects in Norway have been an exciting challenge, full of adventure for us. While we still build music-related projects in Norway today, we no longer operate on the same scale as we did during the framework agreement period.
Ladegaard Architecture
Part of Ladegaard Group ApS