1. Know some of the basic facts about the country of Indonesia. Where and what is it, both geographically and politically?
2. What are the most important geophysical features that affect and influence life in this part of the world? What effect might these forces have had on music or musical preferences?
3. How did this music come to the notice of the West, e.g., Europe and the US, in the late 19th century? What other (earlier) contacts might this country/region have had with the West?
4. Even though almost 90% of the people of Indonesia are Muslim, how do Indonesian beliefs and practices differ from those of Middle Eastern Muslims? What other religions influence the culture and music of this region?
5. How are gongs made? Why is the Gongsmith so revered, and how does one treat the objects that he makes? In what other way does Indonesian music reflect the fundamental cultural beliefs of traditional Indonesia?
6. What is a Gamelan (What exactly does the word mean)? What sorts of instruments are included in a gamelan, and what are the primary instruments, i.e., the Gongs, made of? What instrument is the Saron and what is its primary function?
7. What are the two tuning systems used in Indonesia? How are instruments tuned, especially with regard to one another, and what is the relationship of all the instruments in a particular gamelan to one another?
8. What does a Gamelan sound like in performance? What is Colotomy or Colotomic structure, and how do you hear and identify it?
9. What is the Balungen or the Nuclear Melody (also called the Skeletal Melody in some sources), and how do you hear and identify it?
10. What are the elaborating Instruments and what sorts of parts do they play? What are Interlocking Parts and who plays them? What instrument directs and controls the performance, e.g., determining tempos, giving cues to other instruments, etc.?
11. What are some of the uses of the gamelan, both today and historically, i.e., where does one hear a gamelan played?
12. What is Kecak, and where, when and why did it arise? How does this unique style differ from gamelan music? What is similar to gamelan music?
13. What does Indonesian popular music sound like? Know at least 2-3 examples, and be able to describe the basics of each group's sound?
14. What is Dangdut and who is/was Rhoma Irama?
15. How do groups like Krakatau and Gigi reflect Indonesian musical styles? What in their sounds is not Indonesian?

updated: 3 April 2019