So I went to the Bruno Mars concert in Miami last weekend…and had a blast!  I knew some of his bigger hits going into the concert, but I wasn’t a huge fan.  I was certainly in the minority in this aspect because pretty much all of the screaming fans around me were singing every word to every one of his songs.  Regardless, I was very impressed with the man’s musicality, and with his backing band.

The Band

Bruno Mars had a eight-piece band with him at the American Airlines Arena.  His band consisted of a back-up vocalist, a lead guitarist, a bass guitarist, a drummer, a keyboard player, and a horn section consisting of a trombonist, saxophonist, and a trumpet player.    It was a pretty large band, and it was extremely effective in sounding great!
In order for there to be a great performance, no matter who the front man is, there has to be a great band.  The band had amazing musical talent, that’s for sure.  They hit every single note with precision and musicality.  This kind of skill doesn’t just appear over night.  Take for example, the trumpet player.  It could be the work of some fantastic in home trumpet teachers to get that player sounding the way he does.

What To Practice

When performing in a nine-piece band, a very important aspect of the music is being to play in time with the other musicians.  In order to get to that level, each one of the band members must practice with a metronome.  Running exercises with a metronome is one of the best ways to improve your timing as a musician.  This is going to be a crucial skill to have once you’re performing with Bruno Mars’ band.  All in home trumpet teachers will tell you that!

Stage Presence

What truly set Bruno Mars’ band apart and made them incredible to watch was their stage presence.  This is something we only go into in private music lessons when the student is striving to be a rock star, but I believe that this is something that should be discussed anywhere along a student’s journey.  At any given time during any given song, every single one of the musicians on stage were dancing, jumping around, and engaging the audience.  This creates a sort of participatory environment that the audience really enjoys being a part of.  The energy in that room was insane!

The Man Himself

Bruno Mars was absolutely fantastic.  He had all of the stage presence of his backing band and he is also an incredible talent.  He writes some pretty difficult vocal melodies and I was shocked and awe-stricken at how well he was able to pull them off live.  They actually sounded better than the album.  His vocals were pristine and he had some serious dance moves to go with them.  I left feel very impressed.
I was not the only one who left feeling impressed.  The entire sold out American Airlines Arena was buzzing after the show about how remarkable that performance actually was.  I enjoyed seeing the crowd at this show.  The entire age spectrum was well represented at this show.  I saw old couples, teenagers, and entire families with members spanning three generations.  It was a remarkable sight to see and everyone had a great time.  If you’re looking to introduce great music to your children, you can’t miss the next time Bruno Mars comes to your city!
I went into the concert not really knowing what to expect, but I left feeling inspired.  Musical greatness is attainable and it all starts with in home trumpet teachers, or in home keyboard teachers, or even in home drum set teachers (did you know Bruno Mars plays drums?  I certainly found out after a he rocked an explosive drum solo!).  Start lessons today and who knows?  You may be playing with Bruno Mars some day.