Genie, the point I was trying to make is that folk music is a lot more open than most genres of music. The focus is the song, not the singer. Consequently a wonderful voice is not required to be a great folk singer. As for performance, all a folk singer has to do is stand there and sing. They're not expected to do a dance routine, or wave their arms around in a cloud of dry ice.

All that really leaves is the singing. All I'm asking is that people make the effort learn to sing and learn the song. Again, can I remind you I'm referring to people doing a solo turn, not people singing together as part of a group. I'm referring to people giving performances, even if they may be fairly informal.

I reject the idea, which seems increasingly prevalent, that all that matters is that people sing, regardless of what comes out. Sure, folk allows people to participate, but there's more to it than that. It should be possible to go to a folk club and hear music performed to a reasonable standard.

If people really can't sing, then they shouldn't be inflicting it on an audience, keep it for the shower. If they can sing, then please make an effort to do it properly. Otherwise, it's just self-indulgence - a belief that other people are going to want to hear you sing this song, even though you haven't taken the trouble to learn it.