During the month of March, the 3rd grade music students will begin studying Johann Sebastian Bach.  We will be reading about and discussing his life, and then watching a video that portrays Bach’s life as he worked for the Duke and struggled to earn the freedom to compose new music.  This unit directly addresses Standard R-1.a Communicate how expressive qualities (such as dynamics, modality, tempo and meter) are used to reflect expressive intent; Standard R-1.b Communicate similarities and differences in music; Standard R-2.a Describe vocal and instrumental timbres and their uses in various cultures; Standard R-2.b Communicate similarities and differences in music used for holidays, celebrations, and day-to-day life from various cultures; and Standard R-2.c Discuss reasons that different kinds of music are important to different people and cultures.