COMPARING MUSIC EDUCATION BETWEEN
VIETNAMESE AND AMERICAN SCHOOL PROGRAMS
M.M. Hồ Ngọc Khải
Gia Lai Junior College of Education
Today, many countries across the world have endeavored to develop music teaching and learning within national educational systems. Even though music education programs differ from country to country, music educators are struggling with similar problems in term of standards in music education, curricula, or educational foundation (Alexandra, 2008). Therefore, to prepare for a new period of educational reformation after the year 2015, a study on the topic music education of developed countries would be a premier necessity of Vietnamese music education.
During a three-year training course in a Master of Music Education program in the State of Hawai’i – USA, I studied different music pedagogical approaches and experienced teaching music in several American public schools. In this paper, I would like to compare Vietnamese and American music education, regarding educational programs, curricula, content, methods, and teaching-learning conditions. I hope that through the found similarities and differences, we are able to determine advanced features to apply into the condition of Vietnamese music education in the next future.
1. Music education programs in Vietnam and USA
1.1 Music education in Vietnam’s schools:
Music officially became a subject in school curriculums in Vietnam in 1980 and was applied in grades K-8. However, music education had only been practiced in large cities and provinces due to the shortage of music teachers within the country.
In 2002, under the Reformation of Education Content, Methodology, and Textbook promulgated by the Congress, music was applied in schools from grades 1 to 9 as an obligatory subject (Congress of The Socialist Republic of Vietnam, 2000). Music in grade 9 is only taught during the first semester of a school year. Primarily, music education in Vietnam is general music. Table 1 below shows the involvement of music education in schools from the year 2001 until the present; regarding the grades, music programs, period’s duration, instructional structure, and number of students in a music classroom.
| School | Primary school | Secondary school | High school |
| Grades | 1- 5 | 6 – 9 | 10 – 12 |
| Music programs | – General Music | – General Music – In grade 9, music education is only taught during the first semester. | – None |
| Period duration | 30 minutes | 45 minutes | |
| Instruction | Large groups | Large groups | |
| Number of students/classroom | 35 – 45 | 35 – 45 | |
| No of periods | 1 period/week | 1 period/week |
Table 1: School music education in Vietnam
1.2 Music education in America’s schools:
The foundation of American music education was marked by Lowell Mason and his collaborators at the Boston Academy of Music in 1837. Between 1837 and 1852, public school music spread across America. And then, before 1900 music was established as a regular subject in most school curricula throughout the United States (Lois Choksy & others, 2001). During the twentieth and the beginning of the twenty-first centuries, school music in the United States has significantly grown and has demonstrated great achievements. Practical methods such as the Kodaly Method, Jaques-Dalcroze Method, and Orff Approach as well as comprehensive philosophy of Pestalozzi, Gordon, and Montessori created remarkable and efficient successes in school music teaching and learning of the country. Additionally, the contributions of the Music Educators National Conference (MENC) were the fundamental precursors of music education reformations in the United States during multiple decades (Lois Choksy and others, 2001).
In the United States, school organizational plans differ from state to state and from public to private schools. Generally, there are three main plans that are accepted. First is the 6 -3- 3 plan. Second is the 4-4-4 plan. Third is the K-5, 3, 4 plan – primary school, middle high school, and high school (Rober E. Ny & others, 1992). Music education is applied in all grades K-12 with different content and organization. The duration and total number of music periods vary within schools and levels. The method through which instruction is organized also differs through three main forms: large groups, small groups, and individualized instruction.
Table 2 below illustrates general information of school music in the United States. From Tables 1 and 2, it is easy to point out a lot of differences rather than similarities between the two music education systems. Similarly, both music education programs in primary schools are general music education, and the maximum duration of a music class is 30 minutes. The main instructional structure of the both programs is large group. However, there are a lot of differences between the two systems.
| School | Primary school | Middle high school | High school |
| Grades | K- 4 (5) | (5) 6 – 8 | 9 – 12 |
| Music programs | – General Music | – Performance-based music – Individual development * Choir * Instrument * Band | – Performance-based music – Professional development * Choir * Instrument * Band |
| Period duration | 20 – 30 (minutes) | 30 – 45 (minutes) | 30 – 45 (minutes) |
| Instruction | Large groups, small groups | Large groups, small groups, and individual | Large groups, small groups, and individual |
| Number of student/classroom | 15-20 | Depending on instruction structure | Depending on instruction structure |
| No of periods | 4 – 5 periods/week | 4 – 5 periods/week | 4 – 5 periods/week |
Table 2: Music Education Instruction in American Schools
Firstly, in primary schools, the number of students in an American music classroom is smaller than those in Vietnam. It demonstrates a fact that American music teachers are easier to organize musical activities than the Vietnamese colleagues with a double number of students in a music classroom. In addition, American primary school students can be able to acquire more musical skills and knowledge than those in Vietnam with only one learning period each week, since they study up to 4 or 5 class-periods weekly.
Secondly, in middle high school level, Vietnamese music education is still based on general music education; whereas, the American one focuses on performance-based. Students in American schools can choose choral, instrumental, or band music to study. Individual development of musicianship and performing skills of students are considered. So that, besides large group instructions, each student has one to two periods to practice his/her instrument.
Thirdly, there has not had any music instruction in Vietnamese high schools; on the other hand, in America music is still a domain subject with more professional performing knowledge and skills. Students can choose to follow up choral, instrumental, or band music. The ones who are not interested in performing music are able to participate in vocal, theory, or history classes. Thus, they have opportunities to develop their musical ability in various ways.
2. Music education curriculum in Vietnamese and American elementary schools
As presented in Table 1 and 2, common characteristics can be found mostly in elementary school programs of the two countries. With a purpose of applying international educational into Vietnam, comparative procedure should be first focused on primary school music programs.
2.1 Contents
Primary school music in Vietnam primarily focus on developing singing skills, musical appreciation, moral education, and a love of the country to children. Singing is the major activity of the music program. Solfege is only taught in grade 4 and 5 with the use of only the fixed-Do system. Music education in elementary schools includes three main sub-subjects: singing, developing musical ability, and solfege (MOET, 2001). In music classrooms, students learn to accurately sing melodies and rhythms of the selective songs and sing in harmony in group settings. For the enhancement of basic musical knowlegde, aural and music feeling, students also learn to distinguish different musical concepts. They are also exposed to listening to music and music stories. Solfege is only applied to grades 4 and 5.
Vietnamese music education curriculum is fixed content and textbooks. Musical knowledge and skills are designed in details from lesson to lesson in only one set of textbooks, published by the Ministry of Education and Training. All music teachers must follow sequences of musical contents and activities in the textbooks during a school year. Only 15% of the repertoire can be replaced by local traditional songs. Table 3 below presents the content of grades one to five primary school curriculum in Vietnam.
| Grades | Singing | Developing Musical Ability | Solfege |
| 1 | 12 songs | – Listening to music and music stories | None |
| 2 | 12 songs | – Introducing musical instruments – Listening to music and music stories | None |
| 3 | 11 songs (including the National Anthem) | – Introducing musical instruments – Listening to music and music stories – Learning some useful musical concepts and elements | None |
| 4 | 10 songs | – Introducing musical instruments – Listening to music and music stories – Learning some useful musical concepts and elements – Learning some music performing forms | – 8 solfege exercises – 2/4 meter – Do pentatonic (C, D, E, G, A) |
| 5 | 10 songs | – Introducing musical instruments – Listening to music and music stories – Learning some useful musical concepts and elements – Studying about some well-known Western and Vietnamese musicians | – 8 solfege exercises – 2/4, 3/4 , and 3/8 meters – Do major key |
Table 3: Musical contents of Vietnamese elementary curriculum
Different from Vietnam, American music education curriculum is developed based on performance foundation. Thus, during elementary school programs, students learn and practice basic rhythms, pitches, and other musical concepts. Such instructions ensure providing necessary musical knowledge and skills to students to enter new stages of learning in middle high schools, and later in high schools, including choir, band, and ensemble music. In K grade, students learn and experience all special characteristics of musical sounds, such as loud and soft, high and low, fast and slow, etc. And then, in grades 1 to 6, solfege is taught. The curriculum provides only content standards; however, music teachers are free to select songs, chants, games, and movements or activities to teach in their classrooms in order to achieve the content standards. Table 4 below provides elementary music education curriculum in the State of Hawai’i.
| GRADE K Loud & soft Fast & slow High & low Short & long Same & different Smooth & jerky | GRADE 2 ta-a (h) 4/4 meter re, do-re-mi (keys of G & F) Tiri-tiri (jjjq ) low la, (keys of G, F & C); | GRADE 4 low ti (keys of G, F & C) high do (keys of G, F & C); syn-co-pa (e q e ) whole note (w ), whole rest (} ) tai-ti (q. e ) fa (keys of G, F & C) Bb |
| GRADE 1 Beat & rhythm Ta (q), ti-ti iq ) so-mi (key of F) Quarter rest (z) 2//4 meter, :II (repeated sign) Home tone, do (keys G & F); | GRADE 3 low so, (keys of G, F & C) la (keys of G & F) ti-tiri (ijq ) tiri-ti (jiq ) do pentatonic (keys of G, F & C); la pentatonic | GRADE 5 ti-tai (e q. ) Ta-a-a, 3/4 meter tim-ri ( e. x), ri-tim (x e. ) F# |
Table 4: Music education curriculum in American elementary schools in State of Hawaii, source: Loong, 2011
2.2 Teaching methodologies
From the time when the 2002 curriculum being nationally applied, some methodological tools of international music education approaches have been used in Vietnam. For example, movements and unpitched Vietnamese instruments accompanying while singing (from Kodály and Orff-Schulwerk methods); Vietnamese rhythmic syllables and stick-notation in sight-singing (Kodály). However, many of other teaching tools have not been known or employed by teachers. Students study in ordinary classrooms with fixed tables and chairs, without moving and playing space. Some elementary schools have a music classroom, but where only some electronic keyboards are placed. Thus, students mostly stay at their stable seats when doing musical activities, not moving around. Learning atmosphere seems to be still stationary rather than active and attractive to the children.
On the other hand, American music education explores strengths of different pedagogical approaches in the field of teaching and learning music. Teaching theory, philosophy, and tools of Pestalozzi, Kodály, Call Orff, Dalcroze, Suzuki, Gordon, and Montessori are incorporated in the school music programs. These musical pedagogies have been imported to the country from different nations and deeply popularized in all general school programs for decades and brought American music to the top position of the world. Children learn and comprehend music through experiences of different activities, such as listening, playing games, singing, doing movements – locomotor and unlocomotor, chanting, speeding, dancing, and playing instruments (Choksy, 1999). “Total physical response to music” is to be the primary approach of teaching –learning procedure. For that reason, children’s creative and active making music is the best consideration of music teachers. Playing and moving have been compulsorily structured in any music lesson as the central activities. Therefore, moving and playing space is always available for children in every music classroom. Under the light of such famous methodologies, American music educators are free to design any activities and use any materials to achieve the content standards required by the nation and state’s Education Department. They are assessed by their student s’ achievements in singing and participating musical activities. Thus, self-studying and taking in-service courses have become a regular and necessary duty of each music educator to improve their musical profession.
2.3 Materials
In Vietnamese elementary school music, the repertoire includes Vietnamese folk songs, other countries’ folk songs, and newly composed songs; the latter being used in classrooms more often than Vietnamese folk songs (Hoang Long, Music Textbook grade 1, 2001). Children chants have never used in school music. However, the repertoire used in American elemetary schools almost includes folk songs and children chants. Because of being a multi-cultural nation, American music education has also develop based on mixed-cuture tradition. Folk songs of the Native Americans and other ethnic communities have been systematically collected, analized, and published by enthusiastic music educators and researchers for nearly a century to be use in classroom music. Children chants are also employed, especially for those in first grades. New composed songs are rarely used. Songs, which are taught, link to solfege and music theory; not be independent like those used in Vietnam just for singing purpose.
2.4 Activities/Movements
In Vietnamese music education, some activities used along with singing include hand clapping and playing non-pitched instruments (e.g.,wooden sticks, wooden bells, and dual coin sticks). Using movements accompanying for singing is a requirement in elementary music education, primarily expressing the lyrics of the songs. Game songs, circle games, and roll games are rarely used by teachers in music classrooms. Whereas, such musical activities are much used in American music classrooms. Children games, moving activities, different types of movements, and traditional dances have been the major learning activities. Through participating games, movements, and other learning activities, children are encouraged to become familiar and deeply understangding musical terms and concepts. In addition, Dalcorze movements place a central point in enhancing understanding and feeling rhythms as well as other musical concepts and elements. Various types of moving activities are regularly applied in music classrooms, creating an active and funny learning atmosphere for children. Other activities like vocal xxploration, traditional dances and games, speech, and listening are also put into practice. Those take important parts in making musical learning activities more and more diverse.
2.5 Solfege:
Exercises that used for teaching solfege in Vietnamese school music are mostly short composed pieces with lyrics. After students sing in solfege the notation, they will sing the lyrics. Reading exercises are mostly pentatonic (do, re, mi, so, and la) in grade 4 curriculum; then, notes fa and si (ti) of the major diatonic scale are included in grade 5 curriculum. Basic rhythmic patterns used in solfege consist of quarter, eighth, haft notes, and quarter rests. In teaching rhythms, many music teachers employ a counting syllable system that is based on the number of notes in a group, often equaling to a quarter note.
Solfege is a primary music subject in American music education to establish music literacy for children. Moveable Do is the main notation system used in reading and writing music. Similar to Vietnamese music education, Pentatonic scales are mostly used in teaching solfege to children, appropriate for children in early schooling ages. Other Kodály and Orff-Schuwerk teaching tools, such as Iconic Notation, Stick Notation, Rhythmic Syllables, Hand Sign System, Body Percussion, as well as Dalcroze games, make sight–singing music a joyful and active activity (Choksy, 1999). Some musical forms such as cannon and fuga have been facilitated to children in a variety of playing and moving activities. In addition, rhythmic games occupy a majority of solfege lessons in elementary school music lessons (Lineburgh, 1994).
2.6 Musical instruments:
After the application of the 2001 curriculum, some unpitched Vietnamese instruments have been employed in music classrooms, such as Song Loan, Mõ, and wooden sticks; normaly, accompanying for singing in beats, measures, and rhythms. Other musical instruments that are only presented to develop musical understanding to students in music classrooms include both Vietnamese traditional instruments (such as sáo – bamboo flute, đàn tranh – seventeen- string zither, and đàn bầu – monocord) and Western instruments (such as piano, guitar, and violin), mostly by viewing pictures and listening to recordings.
However, playing instruments is a particular identification of American school music. In elementary schools, there are a lot of simple musical instruments being regularly employed, such as body percussions, unpitched hand percussions, and Orff instruments. Children play instruments in different ways and structures. For instance, play a special pitch or rhythm, take turn to play musical patterns, play in beats or rhythms, play alone and in combined layers, play ostinatos to accompany singing, etc (Shamrock, 2007). Children from grade 2 or 3 can learn some musical instruments, such as ukulele, guitar, recorder, and xylophones; but just only some simple pieces and with simple techniques.
3. Recommendations for applications into Vietnamese music education
Due to political, social, and cultural characteristics, international applications into Vietnamese music education have to be selective, appropriate, and specialized. In my opinion, the reformation of the teaching content, method, and textbooks should primarily focus on increasing the quality of music lessons. There are some practical factors that should be considered in implementing in the upcoming years, regarding music teaching content, materials, as well as methods and teaching aids.
3.1 Content.
– Solfege should be taught to children at the first grades, like American music education. For 1st grade, the focuses should be musical concepts, such as loud & soft, high & low, fast & slow, etc. And then, from 2 to 5 grades, simple musical concepts and elements are step by step provided in combination with reading and writing notes. Pentatonic scales should be used in solfege training during primary school classes.
– Rhythms are also taught individually and in combination to pitches in solfege exercises. Rhythms should be taught to children in forms of games and activities to provide as many opportunities as possible to children to experience rhythms through playing, moving, and participating in activities.
– In primary school music, songs should be taught in relation to solfege content, not independently just for singing purpose. However, songs can be taught separately in higher school levels, linking to learning knowledge of musical movements, composers, and traditional education purposes.
– Choir music should be presented and practiced in all school levels, especially high schools, to improve musicality to students, creating an academic musical environment in schools. In addition, this musical performing form helps establishing solidarity among students.
3.2 Music teaching materials and teaching aids
– Increase the number of Vietnamese traditional and folk songs in school repertoire. Explore other material resources, such as children chants and game songs. Because children chants and traditional games contain cultural valuables, this application also helps to preserve Vietnamese heritage and culture among young generations.
– Use more visual teaching aids. Apply Iconic Notation tool (writing notes in pictures of animals, fruits, animals, icons to facilitate learning process to children. Employ Smart Notebook and Sensitive Touch Board in designing music lessons to attract children.
Besides the usage of Vietnamese unpitched instruments, we should use more unpitched and pitched Orff instruments when teaching music to children. First, body percussions are naturally available and easy to use for all children, such as clapping, snapping, tapping, and stamping. Using this kind of instruments helps increasing inner musical feelings of children and music making ability. Second, playing unpitched hand instruments is also effective to children when learning music. Instruments like maracas, tone block, triangle, jingles, finger cymbals, tambourine, cowbell, and various sizes of hand drums – with interesting and satisfying sounds, when being employed, can create fun and sound experience for the young learners (Shamrock, 2007).
3.3 Teaching methods
– In order to increase the quality of music lessons, diverse delivery methods should be researched and used in music classrooms. Music teachers and experts in institutions, pedagogical universities and college, as well as schools should be trained in practical music teaching methods, such as Kodály, Dalcroze, and Orff-Schulwerk. These teaching methods include a lot of different teaching tools and activities which satisfy children’s playing and moving ambitions.
– Found an organization of educational researchers who are have experiences or over-seas studied in music education field to study in depth teaching methods from other countries and propose strategies for reformation of Vietnamese music education in the future.
– Movements of Orff-Schuwerk and Dalcroze should be presented to Vietnamese children in music classrooms. Such moving activities help children to improve their musical feeling and appreciation through direct participating.
The application of the mentioned music teaching methods requires changes in music classroom structure. Classrooms should be designed with moving and playing space. Moveable tables and chairs should be set up replacing the fixed ones as using now in classrooms.
In short, there are a lot of new international applications which should be learned from American music education, regarding teaching methods, materials, and classroom organization. New changes should be made firstly from primary school level; and then moving to next levels. In my opinion, improving learning environment of music classrooms by the involvement more active activities like games, movements, dances, and instrumental playing is the priority consideration of Vietnamese music education. Such implementations have to follow principles of Kodály, Dalcroze, and Orff-Schulwerk methods which have been effectively used not only in America, but also other developed countries. Another focus is soon involving simple notation lessons in first grades’ curricula in order to improve music knowledge and skills for children. Importantly, increasing the number of folk songs and children chants is a good strategy to enhance cultural education among Vietnamese children.
4. Conclusion
In comparison to American music education, Vietnamese music education is still in the first stage of development. General music is much appropriate for school and the real situations of Vietnam education in the next decades. Vietnam cannot implement performance-based music education like America, but can utilize chorus as a musical form to create academic performing atmosphere among students at different school levels. Important changes and applications should first focus on primary school program, beginning with the implementations of universal practical teaching methods such as Kodály, Dalcroze, and Orff-Schulwerk. Making changes in delivery ways of music instruction is truly necessary in educational reformation before doing any change in content and curriculum. To do that, first, Vietnamese educational planners should send scholars to other countries to study and practice in long-term programs. Second, to prepare human resource for reformation, a scholarly foundation which consists of researchers, good educators, and enthusiastic musicians in the field of music education should be formed. Third, international supports are also very important. Some developed music education systems can help Vietnam to train music education experts and provide teaching aids and instruments. I believe that with high attempts of Ministry of Education and Training and international assistance, Vietnamese music education programs would develop and get more achievement after the year 2015.
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