Research Article

Miao folk songs as a living musical practice in contemporary social contexts

Volume: 11 Number: 4 October 26, 2026
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Miao folk songs as a living musical practice in contemporary social contexts

Abstract

This study examines Miao folk songs in Pengshui County, Chongqing Municipality, People’s Republic of China, as living musical practices whose meanings are shaped through contemporary social contexts. Employing a qualitative ethnomusicological approach, the research draws on fieldwork conducted between June 2025 and January 2026, including participant observation, audiovisual documentation, and semi-structured interviews with six purposively selected key informants comprising tradition bearers, experienced singers, and cultural practitioners. Data were analyzed inductively to explore the relationships among singing practices, performance contexts, modes of participation, and the roles of performers, audiences, and performance spaces. The findings reveal that Miao folk songs are practiced and transmitted across six principal contexts: traditional ritual ceremonies, agricultural labor and everyday life, communal gatherings and festivals, courtship and interpersonal communication, tourism-oriented performances, and digital and educational settings, each associated with distinct repertoires and organized modes of vocal practice. Four forms of musical practice are identified: spontaneous collective singing, ritual-prescribed performance, staged performance, and standardized pedagogical practice. Under contemporary conditions, these practices demonstrate a dynamic interplay of continuity and adaptation, characterized by shifts from community-internal spaces to public arenas, a reduced emphasis on improvisation in favor of fixed melodic and textual forms, and an expanded reliance on institutional and digital transmission. Conceptualizing Miao folk songs as musical practice thus extends analysis beyond musical structure toward a contextual understanding of how meaning is co-produced through participation, space, and time, offering a transferable framework for the study of ethnic folk music traditions in contemporary societies.

Keywords

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Musicology and Ethnomusicology

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

October 26, 2026

Submission Date

April 25, 2026

Acceptance Date

June 23, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 11 Number: 4

APA
Qiulin, R., Theerapan, S., Sangmuenna, W., & Suepbunma, P. (2026). Miao folk songs as a living musical practice in contemporary social contexts. Online Journal of Music Sciences, 11(4), 1404-1416. https://doi.org/10.31811/ojomus.1937608
AMA
1.Qiulin R, Theerapan S, Sangmuenna W, Suepbunma P. Miao folk songs as a living musical practice in contemporary social contexts. ojomus. 2026;11(4):1404-1416. doi:10.31811/ojomus.1937608
Chicago
Qiulin, Ren, Suthasinee Theerapan, Watcharanon Sangmuenna, and Piyakon Suepbunma. 2026. “Miao Folk Songs As a Living Musical Practice in Contemporary Social Contexts”. Online Journal of Music Sciences 11 (4): 1404-16. https://doi.org/10.31811/ojomus.1937608.
EndNote
Qiulin R, Theerapan S, Sangmuenna W, Suepbunma P (October 1, 2026) Miao folk songs as a living musical practice in contemporary social contexts. Online Journal of Music Sciences 11 4 1404–1416.
IEEE
[1]R. Qiulin, S. Theerapan, W. Sangmuenna, and P. Suepbunma, “Miao folk songs as a living musical practice in contemporary social contexts”, ojomus, vol. 11, no. 4, pp. 1404–1416, Oct. 2026, doi: 10.31811/ojomus.1937608.
ISNAD
Qiulin, Ren - Theerapan, Suthasinee - Sangmuenna, Watcharanon - Suepbunma, Piyakon. “Miao Folk Songs As a Living Musical Practice in Contemporary Social Contexts”. Online Journal of Music Sciences 11/4 (October 1, 2026): 1404-1416. https://doi.org/10.31811/ojomus.1937608.
JAMA
1.Qiulin R, Theerapan S, Sangmuenna W, Suepbunma P. Miao folk songs as a living musical practice in contemporary social contexts. ojomus. 2026;11:1404–1416.
MLA
Qiulin, Ren, et al. “Miao Folk Songs As a Living Musical Practice in Contemporary Social Contexts”. Online Journal of Music Sciences, vol. 11, no. 4, Oct. 2026, pp. 1404-16, doi:10.31811/ojomus.1937608.
Vancouver
1.Ren Qiulin, Suthasinee Theerapan, Watcharanon Sangmuenna, Piyakon Suepbunma. Miao folk songs as a living musical practice in contemporary social contexts. ojomus. 2026 Oct. 1;11(4):1404-16. doi:10.31811/ojomus.1937608