Allan - I cwertainly hope thast your tongue was planted firmly in cheek when you wrote that. One of the best things about this "folk music" stuff is the participatory aspect of it. One of the strongest aspects of it is its ability to counter the need for "someone else" to do it for us. There are a lot of socio-political ramifications here. What happens when the powers that be in control of "the box" decide that your favorite music is no longer marketable? As I write this I'm sure that you must have been humoring us all, "it must be very difficult to do." REALLY!!!!

I work in an elementary school and I have an opportunity to gauge reactions of kids to singing. They don't get enough of it in school. Most kids naturally like to sing, but there are a lot who won't for some reason. This number grows the older the kids get.

My biggest frustration is other teachers who don't sing with their children because they say, "they wouldn't want to hear my voice." WHAT CRAP!!! Educators owe children the opportunity to put songs into their voices. The kids don't care. I am not an artist, but I've learned enough to be able to present art lessons in a classroom. I am not a published writer, but I teach children to write. I am not an actor, but I provide children the opportunity to express themselves in dramatic forms.

All of this reminds me of something Peter Seeger wrote a few years back about a "tin ear club" which claimed to teach anyone how to carry a tune (not necessarily to sing like Pavaratti, but to be able to sing). Anyone know where to get information on that group (or the person who organized the group?)