Performing quiz: N(A)-Level Music quiz

It uses less sheet music

It builds reliable memory and technique over time and avoids cramming

It is always more fun

It means you never need to practise the hard bars

Slow playing is the final goal

Get the passage accurate slowly first, then raise the tempo gradually

Fast practice with mistakes is fine

Speed does not matter at all

A tool that tunes your instrument

A marking that means play loudly

A type of musical scale

A device that sounds a steady, adjustable beat to help you keep a constant tempo

It breaks the beat into smaller units so you can place notes precisely

It makes the music louder

It changes the key

It removes the need to read the score

Stop and start the whole piece again

Keep going steadily and carry on as if nothing happened

Apologise out loud

Speed up to cover the mistake

Because easy pieces always score higher marks regardless

Because difficult pieces are not allowed

So you can play it confidently, accurately and musically rather than struggling

Because the marker will not listen anyway

Play every note at exactly the same volume

Leave a long silence after each note

Play the phrase twice as fast

Let the phrase rise and fall in intensity, like a spoken sentence

Legato is loud, staccato is soft

Legato is smooth and connected, staccato is short and detached

Legato is fast, staccato is slow

They mean the same thing

They are the composer's instructions for loud and soft, which shape the music's expression

They are optional decorations

They only show which notes to play

They tell you the key signature

Everyone plays as loudly as possible

Each part is at the right volume so no one is too loud or too soft and the melody can be heard

Everyone plays the same notes

The group stands in a straight line

Each player using a totally different tone

Playing in different keys at once

Players matching their tone so the parts merge into a unified sound

One player drowning out the others

Each player starts whenever they feel ready

Start at slightly different times on purpose

The loudest player starts first

Watch a leader, breathe in together or count in so everyone begins on the same beat

Playing the correct pitches and rhythms as written

Playing as fast as possible

Playing very loudly

Adding lots of extra notes

It lets you skip the hard bars

A steady pulse keeps the music together and sounding controlled

It makes the piece shorter

It removes the need for dynamics

Perform it for the first time on the day of assessment

Only ever play the whole piece at full speed

Choose a suitable piece, plan practice, drill tricky bars slowly, then add shaping and run it through

Practise once the night before