Musical performance direction, whereby dots placed above notes indicate that they be played abruptly (8)
I believe the answer is:
staccato
(Other definitions for staccato that I've seen before include "Disconnected, like musical notes say" , "In music, in a sharp disconnected manner" , "With notes sharply separated (music)" , "With each note detached or disconnected (music)" , "detached playing style" .)