Sorry Mudjack, you've been misinformed about every child in UK schools being taught penny whistle - great idea but not happening. There are quite a number of enlightened schools where good things are happening such as performance and ceilidh bands - and I do know of one where all pupils DO learn the penny whistle! However, much still relies on the enthusiasm of individual teachers. That's where Folkworks fits in and does such a great job - as mentioned earlier in the thread.