Abstract

Piano accompaniment competence supports vocal music students in learning songs, developing harmonic understanding, and coordinating piano accompaniment with the singing voice. However, the ability to perform isolated piano exercises does not necessarily translate into the ability to construct and perform effective accompaniments. This theoretical article reviews selected studies on piano accompaniment, functional keyboard skills, and music performance assessment to establish a conceptual basis for assessing the piano accompaniment competence of intermediate-level vocal music students. It proposes a six-component competence structure, a set of observable criteria, and a four-level descriptive rubric for potential application at Ca Mau College. As the proposed framework has not been empirically validated, field surveys, expert consultation, and pilot testing are required before it can be used to draw conclusions about students’ competence or instructional effectiveness.

Keywords: Competence assessment, intermediate education, piano accompaniment competence, Vietnamese songs, vocal music.