About this Piece

Mad Libs for youth ensemble draws off the popular word game to allow students to create their own musical narratives. The piece consists of short stories and musical settings that contain “blanks.” The students fill in the story blanks with words of their choosing, then come up with sounds that represent those chosen words. The musical arrangements include corresponding “blank” noteheads, in which the students can fill in by playing the designated sound they chose. This framework serves as an identity metaphor for kids to insert themselves into these stories, center any kind of character, and explore the creative process of learning to compose a piece themselves.