Bflat, are you still checking this thread?

A few more comments:

About the safety of my instruments: my policy is to let people use my good instruments, except for one man who is obsessed with smashing guitars and has destroyed at least three (not mine!). However, I only let children or people with learning disabilities play my instruments if I am close at hand to supervise with my hands free. For example, I don't let someone play my guitar while I'm playing fiddle because if I suddenly want to protect my guitar it takes some time for me to put my fiddle and bow down in a secure way. Depending on the individual playing, I might keep one hand on the instrument. I find it hard to get children and people with disabilities to keep their hands off my bow hairs, and one woman likes to taste the bow hairs, but I've decided that this is a risk I can live with in order to be able to share my instruments. I guess it's up to you what risks you can accept.

Another suggestion: if someone isn't charmed by the instrumental play you might be able to get them involved with the right lyrics.

There is a man in my house who hates music, or so he thinks: he is stolidly indifferent to dance and instrumental play, and when anyone starts to sing or hum he says "Stop it! I hate that."

But then I discovered a little ditty about a favourite subject of his (rubber boots) and sang it to him, and he's crazy about it. Whenever he sees me with my guitar or singing something he says "Rubber boots! Rubber boots!" and then suggests people and objects as I'm singing and I work his suggestions into the verses. Heck, now I can bribe him with music ... "I'll sing to you when you're done getting dressed." Quite a conqest, I thought.

Marion