Developing Entrepreneurial Music Curricula in Thai Higher Education: Toward Producing Graduates Equipped for 21st-Century Labour Market Demands

Abstract

The global music industry has undergone profound transformation as digital technologies and changing patterns of cultural consumption disrupt conventional pathways into professional music careers. In contrast to earlier periods when orchestras and cultural institutions provided relatively stable employment, recent studies suggest that only a small proportion of music graduates secure full-time performance positions. Most graduates instead assemble portfolio careers that combine teaching, freelance performance, digital production, and, in many cases, work beyond the music sector.

Within Thai higher education, however, music curricula remain largely shaped by conservatoire traditions that prioritize either Western classical or traditional Thai repertoires, with limited systematic attention to these shifting professional realities. Responding to this gap, this article draws on an integrative review of literature on music entrepreneurship education, the FITA pedagogical framework, Kolb’s experiential learning model, and outcome-based education to propose a curriculum development approach grounded in Thai institutional and cultural contexts.

The proposed framework integrates four interrelated dimensions: 1) music-specific business and marketing knowledge, 2) practical digital, networking, and collaborative competencies, 3) experiential learning through performances, internships, and industry engagement, and 4) the development of adaptability, creative risk-taking, and psychological resilience. Rather than positioning entrepreneurship as an add-on subject, the article argues for its integration across the curriculum, accompanied by
a reconceptualization of instructors’ roles from guardians of technique to mentors of emerging professional identities. The analysis suggests that successful implementation depends on institutional commitment, pedagogical reorientation among faculty, and sustained partnerships with the music and creative industries. Graduates shaped by such curricula are more likely to combine artistic depth with professional agency, enabling meaningful participation in Thailand’s evolving creative economy.