"as a highly experienced musician, you perhaps don't realise (or have forgotten) how intimidating it can feel for even moderately good musicians, let alone beginners, when a session becomes dominated by the experts. Virtuoso tunes hurtle past you because nobody wants to play the standards. When there is eventually a break, you pause to clear your mind of the previous tune, do a quick silent fingering of the first few notes of your party piece and... the chance is gone as the next turbo-charged reel hits in."

Right on brother!

Once a couple of decades or so ago, there was 'A Celtic Club' in Brisbane - it died due to lack of interest in keeping it running - they HAD a "beginner's whistle session" that I attended - quite a few total beginners with no music experience at all attended that - and many of them are now some of the fastest whistle players around.... :-)