Vidushi Vandana Bhagwat received initial training from Vasantrao Behere (her father) and the late Pandit Narayanrao Vyas. She later graduated in music from Mumbai University. The turning point in her musical career was a 15 year long tutelage under the late Pandit Nivruttibuva Sarnaik, who specialized in the rare and compound ragas of the Jaipur tradition. These years included a stint at the Sangeet Research Academy, Kolkata, under a competitively awarded state scholarship. Vandanaji is an "A" grade artist of All India Radio, where she has been performing regularly since 1984. She has also performed live at some of India's most prestigious venues and music festivals, such as the National Centre for Performing Arts (Mumbai),
Dadar-Matunga Cultural Centre (Mumbai), Ustad Abdul Karim Khan's Anniversary (Miraj), and the Alladiyan Khan Music Festival (Mumbai and Dharwad). In parallel with her performing career, Vandanaji has dedicated herself to passing on her musical knowledge. She currently heads the music department at Birla School in Kalyan and was formerly the principal of Dinkar Sangeet Vidyalaya for 9 years. She has trained a number of students for the B.A. and M.A. degrees in music.