“Get in, get out.” It’s a simple direction, but even the most well-thought-out schemes don’t always go according to plan…

“Unmanaged Mischief” is a piece about just that: a group of individuals put together a plan to carry out their dastardly deeds. From the sneaky introduction, to the chaotic escape (or did they?) at the end, you can almost picture the oh-so-familiar  story, scene by scene, unfolding in front of you. 

The piece features two prominent musical story-telling techniques that are intentionally placed so that your students can derive their own meaning behind the notes. 

• M25–40 features a Fugue, with four prominent soloists (and plenty of cues to fit your ensemble’s strengths). Each melody brings more complexity as the “plan is hatched” by your ensemble. Be sure to point out that the term “Fugue” comes from the Latin word “fuga”, meaning 'flight' or 'escape.'

• Starting at m48 and lasting until nearly the end of the piece is a prominent solo line. The score features the Bb-Clarinet as the solo instrument, but solo pages for every instrument are included with the piece (with idiomatic adjustments made for different instruments). The solo is ideally played by one of the soloists from the Fugue section in m25–40. The soloist serves as the “mastermind” behind the plan, and sneakily tries to carry out the “plan,” only to find themselves on the run! 

Do they escape? That is up to your ensemble to work out together. I hope that your students’ imaginations run wild with “Unmanaged Mischief"!