Abstract Prof. Dr. Jose Maceda was an international figure among music scholars in Southeast Asia. He excelled in many fields, notably composition and research. This qualitative study aimed at examining the philosophy, thought and working style of Jose Maceda and investigating the role of Jose Maceda in the music research circle of Southeast Asia. Fieldwork data was obtained through document analysis, interviews, observations and group discussions with music scholars and his former students in The Philippines and in Thailand. Data was analyzed in accordance with the given objectives and the results of the study are presented in a descriptive analysis form. The role of Prof. Maceda is multi-dimensional: in music education, as a music scholar, in research, in musical anthropology and in establishing an ethnomusicology network. Results found that he trained many music teachers, in music education as well as in ethnomusicology, who became researchers of international reputation in their own right. He, along with other well known Asian ethnomusicologists, was a co-founder of the Asia Pacific Society for Ethnomusicology.