American Folk Song · Elementary Music · Grades K–5
Complete lyrics for Who's That, the circle game, a step-by-step teaching guide, and extension activities. One of the most versatile songs in the Kodály repertoire — used for pitch matching, solo singing, re, and unpitched percussion across Kindergarten through 5th grade.
American folk song
Who's That is a short, simple song with a guessing game built in. The class sings the question; one student answers with their own name — creating one of the most natural solo singing opportunities in the entire elementary repertoire.
About this song
Who's That is one of the most durable songs in the elementary music repertoire — it appears in virtually every Kodály curriculum from Kindergarten through 5th grade because the song grows with the students. At the earliest level it is a simple pitch-matching and solo singing activity. At upper grades it becomes the vehicle for re introduction, unpitched percussion, and more complex musical analysis.
The genius of the song is the solo structure. The class asks "who's that tapping at my window?" — and one child must answer with their own name. This is among the shortest, most natural solo singing moments in all of elementary music. The child isn't performing a song; they're just answering a question. That reframing is everything for reluctant singers.
"Who's That gives even my most reluctant singers a solo moment they can succeed at. It's just two words — their name. And every time, they stand a little taller after they do it."
— Deborah Skydell Pasternack, The Singing ClassroomMusically, the song is built on re — the pitch that fills in the gap between do and mi. The melody's movement through re makes this one of the best songs in the library for introducing or reinforcing that pitch. At upper grades, unpitched percussion can be added to the game, and students can analyze the form and rhythmic content in greater detail.
Teaching guide
Teach the class to sing the question phrase by rote first. Keep it simple and unison. The melody is short enough that children learn it in one or two repetitions.
Demonstrate the answer before asking any child to do it: "It's [your name], tapping at your window." Sing it with full voice and confidence. Children need to hear what success sounds like before they attempt it themselves.
One child stands outside the circle or with eyes closed. The class sings the question. The child answers with their own name. Rotate so many children get turns. The physical "tapping" action — knocking on a wall or door — supports the solo singing.
Assign a drum or woodblock to accompany the steady beat. This adds complexity and gives non-solo students something active to do. Rotate the percussion along with the solo role.
Use Kodály hand signs to highlight re in the melody. Ask: "Is there a pitch that sits between do and mi in this song?" The recognition moment is one of the most satisfying in all of Kodály teaching.
Extension activities
Change "tapping at my window" to other actions: "knocking at my schoolhouse," "standing at my gate." Students love making up new versions and the harmless silliness increases engagement without losing the musical focus.
Who's That is one of the best songs for informal pitch matching assessment. Listen to each child's solo to gauge whether they are matching pitch. This gives you individual data on every child across just one or two rounds of the game.
Divide the class: one group sings, one group keeps steady beat with patting, one group plays the rhythm. Rotate. This turns the simple song into an ensemble activity and gives every child multiple musical experiences in one lesson.
Revisit Who's That at each grade level: K–1 for solo singing and pitch matching, Grade 2 for unpitched percussion, Grade 3 for re introduction, Grades 4–5 for analysis and arrangement. The song is a thread that runs through the whole curriculum.
What teachers say
"Who's That is my go-to for reluctant solo singers. The solo is just two words — their name. There's nothing to be afraid of. And I've never had a child who couldn't do it once they understood that."
"I use this song at every grade level and it never gets old. By 5th grade they're analyzing the form — and they remember the very first time they sang it in Kindergarten. That continuity is what Kodály teaching is all about."
"I use 'Who's That?' with my first graders and they love it! It provides an opportunity for pitch-matching, solo singing and following directions."
More circle games
The classic counting out chant with guessing game. Clear AA form and tiri-tiri.
See teaching guide →Cumulative folk song with partner clap. Best song for low sol and tim-ri.
See teaching guide →Mime game — students act out a profession for the class to guess. Creativity and steady beat.
See teaching guide →Common questions
The class sings: "Who's that tapping at my window? Who's that knocking at my door?" The solo child answers: "It's [name], tapping at your window / it's [name], knocking at your door." That's the complete song. Its simplicity is its strength.
Who's That works across Kindergarten through 5th grade with different musical focuses at each level. K–1 for solo singing and pitch matching. Grade 2 adds unpitched percussion. Grade 3 uses it for re. Upper grades use it for analysis and arrangement. Few songs have this kind of vertical alignment.
The key is that the solo is only two words — the child's own name. There is nothing to memorize. Start by modeling with full voice yourself. Then invite a confident volunteer. Once the class sees it's just a name, reluctant singers follow. The child is "answering a question," not "performing a song" — and that reframing makes a significant difference.
Once children know the song, use Kodály hand signs while singing to highlight the re pitch — the note that sits between do and mi. Ask which pitch feels like it's "stepping up" from do but not reaching mi. The moment of recognition — "that's the new pitch!" — is one of the most satisfying in Kodály teaching.
The real problem
Every teacher knows this feeling. You find a song, try it on Monday, and something goes sideways — the kids don't engage, you're not sure how to introduce it, the lesson loses momentum. It's not that the song was wrong. You just didn't have a clear picture of how it actually goes.
That's what makes The Singing Classroom different. Every song in the library — including this one — has a full video of Deborah teaching it with real students. You don't have to guess how to introduce it, how to structure the activity, or how to handle the tricky moments. You watch it. Then you teach it.
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