From Apprenticeship to Competency-Based Education: Reforming Vocal Pedagogy in Vietnamese Higher Education

Abstract

As contemporary performance ecologies and the music industry evolve at accelerating speed, vocal music education in Vietnamese universities faces mounting pressure to reorient its pedagogical foundations toward the development of professional competencies. Drawing on survey data from 300 lecturers, academic administrators, and students across six arts-training institutions, this study investigates how practical training is organised, which instructional methods prevail, and how governance structures shape current vocal pedagogy. The findings confirm that the apprenticeship model and one-to-one studio instruction continue to dominate the training process. Professionally collaborative practice formats — ensemble performance, stagecraft, recording practice, and project-based learning — remain sporadic and peripheral within existing curricula. Current governance mechanisms and infrastructural conditions have not yet generated sufficient institutional support for innovative pedagogical models or diversified professional practice environments. In response, the article proposes a set of reform directions grounded in competency-based vocal training: expanding experiential learning environments, cultivating learner autonomy, and progressively integrating voice science and technology-assisted instruction into pedagogical practice.