Ranger 1,

I too spent much of my life singing only in private. Ex-husband used to ask if I had a headache if he overheard me (guess why he's Ex).

Then I re-found Herga Folk Club about 12 years ago (I'd been a chorus-singer-only member back in the 60's)where I found a warm welcome from the very talented residents who encouraged me to sing What! on my OWN?? No safety net!!), and kept on encouraging.

I'm now confident enough to actually look forward to my turn in a sing-around and enjoy being one of the residents of Windward and Spotlight clubs.

Point being - you've made a good start. Singing in public gets easier the more you do it and the more you do it in private (learning songs so you can sing them backwards), the easier it becomes in public.

The main thing is - enjoy. Private or public, enjoy making music. At the end of the day, that's what it's all about.