Music and Performing Arts Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield Music and Performing Arts facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. Bernard Herrmann's famous music for the shower scene in 'Psycho' (1960) features which instrument section? → String instruments
2. Which term describes music in a film that the characters themselves can hear, such as a radio playing in a scene? → Diegetic music
3. Which Broadway musical featured the song 'Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin''? → Oklahoma!
4. What is 'improvisation' in the context of dance? → Spontaneous, unplanned movement created in the moment
5. What vocal ornament involves quickly alternating between two adjacent notes? → Trill
6. A standard symphony orchestra is typically divided into how many main sections? → 4
7. What does 'forte' mean in music dynamics? → Loud
8. What does a time signature of 3/4 indicate? → Three quarter notes per measure
9. What is the primary purpose of a 'click track' used during film score recording sessions? → To help musicians record in precise synchronization with the film
10. What is the name for the lowest male singing voice? → Bass
11. Which instrument is responsible for keeping time in a jazz ensemble? → All of the above
12. What is the term for exaggerated, physical comedy in theater? → Slapstick
13. What is 'pizzicato' technique on a string instrument? → Plucking the strings with the finger
14. A major scale follows which pattern of whole and half steps? → W-W-H-W-W-W-H
15. What does 'plié' mean in ballet? → A bending of the knees
16. What symbol raises a note by one half step? → Sharp
17. What does 'col legno' mean as an instruction for string players? → Strike or bow with the wooden part of the bow stick
18. Which decade saw rock and roll emerge as a mainstream music genre in America? → 1950s
19. Which award is considered the highest honor in American theater? → Tony Award
20. Which woodwind instrument is made entirely of metal despite being classified as a woodwind? → Flute
21. A triplet divides one beat into how many equal parts? → 3
22. What is the term for a chord built on the first scale degree? → Tonic
23. Flamenco dance originated in which country? → Spain
24. Which vocal technique projects the voice to the back of a theater without microphone amplification? → Projection
25. In film scoring, 'spotting' a film refers to: → Identifying exactly where music should start and stop throughout the film
26. Which brass instrument is the highest in pitch in a standard orchestra? → Trumpet
27. Which composer wrote the Academy Award-winning score for Steven Spielberg's 'Schindler's List' (1993)? → John Williams
28. What term describes the main character in a play or story? → Protagonist
29. In film music, a 'leitmotif' is best described as: → A recurring musical theme associated with a specific character or idea
30. Which playwright wrote 'A Streetcar Named Desire'? → Tennessee Williams