Portuguese music education occurs in two branches: general and specialized. The specialized subsystem is also subdivided into vocational schools (conservatories and music academies) and professional schools. Although different in nature and organization, vocational and professional schools have several goals in common. In the first part, this article contextualizes the historical development of the vocational branch, from the creation of the first Portuguese conservatory (in Lisbon in 1835) until the present day. It describes the emergence of professional schools in the 1990s and, finally, it questions the concept of "vocational schools" itself. In the second part, the article describes the structural reform initiated in 1983 by Law-Decree nr. 310/83, underlining its unquestionable contribution to the improvement of public music education in Portugal. The last part of the article presents a summary of the main effects of this reform in the present situation of specialized music schools.