I came across this interesting thread while looking for something else. It seems worth reviving given some of the other current discussions.

Some observations.

There was some discussion about "a cappella" vs "unaccompanied" I wonder if it is just a matter of different usage on opposite sides of the pond? US usage seems to be generally "a cappella" whereas in the UK we normally say "unaccompanied" reserving "a cappella" for more formal singing by choirs.

Someone said something about singing unaccompanied being more difficult than singing with instruments. Surely singing unaccompanied is actually a natural thing to do. My Mother and my Grandmother both used to sing round the house and never sounded out of tune to me. I only wish I had taken more notice of what they were singing as there were a lot of traditional songs in their repertoires :-(

I was at a carol singing workshop this weekend. Almost all the participants, including myself, had at some time been told to be quiet because they could not sing, yet we sang perfectly well unaccompanied all weekend. I had a brief discussion with the tutor and we concluded that some of the problem about singing was that it has become "mystified" and thought of as something special rather than something natural that everyone can do.

Just some thoughts