From migrant literature to musical performances, in recent years migrant research and writing in Taiwan has begun to pay attention to the creative energies of migrant workers, and the contents of these works have mostly reflected their life situations in Taiwan. Nowadays, these works have gradually entered the discourse of Taiwan’s “The New Southbound Policy” and “multiculturalism,” and have appeared in literary awards, publications, music festivals, and other venues. In contrast, the Filipino migrant worker/rappers who engage in rap battles and music production are unique in that it is predominantly performed by males, has not been recognized as “migrant art,” and cannot be seen in the discourse of Taiwan’s “multiculturalism”. However, these rap performances in Taichung, Hsinchu, and Zhongli not only attracted hundreds of Filipinos, but also featured well-known rappers from the Philippines who traveled across the sea and were supported by Filipino entrepreneurs, promoters and various professionals in Taiwan. This study seeks to understand this underground rap world of the Filipino migrant community, both by identifying the social networks that go beyond migrant identity and by exploring the worlding that these rap performances constitute.

Instrumental ensembles such as rondalla, marching bands, and drum & lyre corps have long been part of the Philippine musical landscape, yet they remain marginalized within institutional structures and public discourse. This study examines the practices, performances, and attitudes of student musicians in the 1st and 2nd districts of Quezon Province, analyzing how these ensembles navigate the challenges of limited institutional support, curriculum constraints, and shifting musical preferences in the face of popular music’s dominance. Using mixed methods, data were collected through surveys and interviews. Findings reveal that while students are highly motivated to participate in these ensembles, structural limitations such as lack of trained music educators, insufficient rehearsal time, and inconsistent program integration pose challenges to their growth and development. In addition, the study explores how instrumental ensembles, often seen as cultural artifacts, strive to remain relevant in a rapidly modernizing musical environment, raising questions about their sustainability and adaptation. By framing instrumental ensembles as musical traditions at the periphery, this study highlights the need for policy reforms, cultural safeguarding initiatives, and innovative pedagogical approaches in order to bridge the gap between institutional neglect and community-driven musical engagement. Ultimately, this research contributes to the discourse on marginalized music traditions and their evolving role within the Southeast Asian cultural landscape.

“Abstract:This study takes the soundscape practice of Philippine bamboo musical instruments as the starting point to explore the interaction mechanism between music flow and cultural boundary dissolution in the context of globalization, and its impact on the construction of Southeast Asian pop music community and cultural identity remodeling. Through qualitative research methods such as fieldwork, music text analysis, and in-depth interviews, this paper focuses on the cross-scenario application of bamboo orchestras in traditional rituals and modern pop music, and reveals how their timbre characteristics and performance practices break through the physical boundaries of regions and cultures, and become symbolic carriers of regional music integration in Southeast Asia. The study found that the soundscape practice of bamboo musical instruments in the Philippines not only retains the cultural genes of local music, but also integrates modern elements such as electronic music and pop arrangement to form a fluid “”sound identity”” through the strategies of “”sound mediatorization”” and “”cultural hybridization””. This practice not only promotes the international dissemination of local music culture in the Philippines, but also promotes the dialogue and cooperation of multiple music subjects in Southeast Asia through the creation of shared soundscapes, and helps build a “”decentralized”” pop music community. Finally, the study proposes that soundscapes, as the “”sound map”” of cultural flow, provide a practical path and theoretical enlightenment for the dynamic negotiation of musical cultural identity in the era of globalization.

Keywords: Philippine bamboo musical instruments; soundscape practice; dissolution of cultural boundaries; Southeast Asian Pop Music Community; Voice identity”