Now, Barry, I think I have an obligation to rebut your rebuttal, don't I? I think Steve hit the nail on the head - it's the people who are the problem, not the book.
I've been involved with church choirs all my life, which means I've dealt with a large number of fickle, nasty, self-centered, small-minded people. Sometimes, though, they make very good music. They don't seem to have a very good time doing it, though - and they're rarely able to really inspire the people in the congregation.
About five years ago, I joined a choir that wasn't very good. We still aren't very good, but we put our hearts into our music and we have a good time. The people in the congregation seem to appreciate our spirit, and they forgive us for our lack of musical sophistication. Actually, the people aren't sophisticated enough to know that we aren't, so everything is just fine.
I belong to three song circles in the Sacramento area. Two rely quite heavily on Rise Up Singing, and I have to say those two are the circles that "work." The people are there to be with each other and to have a good time. They put their hearts into the music, and into the spriit of the group. They may not be sophisticated, but everybody enjoys the evening.
The other group is in the nearby university town of Davis. That group has member who are interested in madrigals, chanteys, and Child ballads - but they are tied to their own interests, and not particularly forgiving of others who don't share their interests, or who don't sing their particular type of music correctly. The attendance at Davis isn't very good, and I often leave a Davis evening with a bad feeling. I wonder why.
What I've saying is that, above all, it's the spirit that counts. The method of conducting a song circle is not all that important, and there is no one perfect way to do it. People who isolate themselves from each other can't sing together. People who put their hearts into singing together will create the magic that makes a song circle work.
-Joe Offer-