In 3rd grade, the students learn one of the main melodies from Danse Macabre. They know it as the "Halloween song." It serves two purposes. It teaches them how to spell "Halloween" and it teaches them a melody of a song they will learn later. Once they know how to sing the song, I introduce the piece of music called "Danse Macabre." We talk about what a legend is, and how Camille Saint-Saens decided to write this song based on a legend. Then the students get to hear the song, listen to the different instruments and instrument families, and interact with questions (and comments) that I ask (and give) throughout the song. I have included my powerpoint presentation as well as the music below.