Grenade: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts
As performed by Bruno Mars
Words and music by Claude Kelly, Peter Hernandez, Brody Brown, Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine, and Andrew Wyatt / arr. Michael Story
Grade: 2 (Easy)
Item: 00-PK-0005164
$63.00
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Description
A pop R&B ballad by recording artist Bruno Mars, this hot chart was nominated for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and a track on Album of the Year by the Grammys in 2011. The arrangement begins with an introduction featuring the clarinet section and rapidly develops to the easy driving pulse of the melody initiated by the trumpets and the entire ensemble. Recognizable and energetic! (2:00)
Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, Grenade: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts comes alive with professional accompaniment, adjustable tempo, and built-in practice tools that turn solo practice into real progress.
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Additional Details
Series:
Pop Young Band
Publisher:
Alfred Music
Page Count:
124
SKU:
00-PK-0005164
More about this title
About the Composer: Claude Kelly
Claude Kelly is a songwriter and producer whose work spans pop, R&B, and hip-hop. He co-wrote "Grenade" with Bruno Mars and the production team, contributing to one of the defining pop ballads of the early 2010s. His background in contemporary songwriting and arrangement brings accessible, radio-friendly sensibility to composition.
Why we love this
Students recognize this song immediately, which means engagement is automatic. The chart respects the original's emotional arc while building the ensemble gradually, letting younger players experience how a simple melodic idea becomes something powerful when the full band locks in.
What to expect
The piece opens with introspective clarity, the clarinet voices floating over sparse texture. Energy gathers as the trumpet melody enters and the ensemble joins, building to a moment of full, earnest power. Throughout, there's warmth beneath the contemporary idiom, a ballad's emotional honesty rendered through band sound.
Who it's for
Concert bands at the middle school and early high school level will find this arrangement both musically satisfying and within comfortable reach. Directors programming contemporary music, building confidence in younger ensembles, or seeking material that connects with student musicians outside the traditional concert band canon will value this chart's direct appeal and solid pedagogical framework.
How to get the most out of it
- Balance the clarinet introduction carefully so it sits exposed but supported; this section sets the tone for everything that follows.
- Resist pushing the tempo too hard early on. The "easy driving pulse" works best when the ensemble stays relaxed and together, not rushed.
- Shape the trumpet melody with a gentle dynamic arc rather than playing it straight; Mars's original vocal phrasing has real contour.
- Let the rhythm section anchor the piece. Clean articulation in the lower voices keeps the ballad grounded as the ensemble builds.
How to use it
This works beautifully in a mixed-genre concert alongside traditional wind band repertoire, offering variety and demonstrating the concert band's range. Consider pairing it with a classic ballad or march to show continuity across musical eras. It also serves as an excellent early-season piece for building section confidence and ensemble cohesion.
Skills your students will build
- Balancing ensemble texture in exposed, slow-moving passages
- Shaping melodic phrases with contour rather than mechanical phrasing
- Maintaining steady tempo through gradual dynamic and textural buildup
- Responding to contemporary harmonic language and R&B rhythmic feel