I've started, so I'll try to finish
In the early sixties Ewan was approached by a number of singers on the scene, Bob Davenport and Gordon McCullough among them, who were not happy with what was happening in the clubs - they asked him to 'take classes' in singing
Others involved were Terry Whelan (a friend of ours who we interviewed about this period) and Harry Boardman
A group of the malcontents met at Ewan and Peggy's home and Ewan said he didn't want to teach, but would help set up a mutual self-help group to work on each other;s singing (based loosely on some of the work that had taken place in Theatre Workshop
This became (stupidly named IMO) The Critics Group which met weekly (and sometimes more regularly) in Beckenham
The earliest member included Charles Parker, Alastair Clayre, Luke Kelly, John Faulkner, Sandra Kerr, Peggy Seeger and Frankie Armstrong.
Ewan chaired the sessions and devised exercises for relaxation and voice development which also came from T.W.
He took Laben's theory on movement which his wife, Jean Menlove had adapted for S.W. and further adapted it for exploring the voice
Part of song analysis used Stanislavski's 'Method' for assisting singers to relate to their songs
Sounds comlicated, but in fact it was brilliantly easy and efefctive - been there, done that and am still using it

The Group covered many aspects of traditional singing from technique to analaysis
The main wok was based on a singer being asked to prepare a short programme of songs - 3 to six usually, sing them to the group who would discuss them, point out where they thought they worked and suggested where they could be strengthened - no rules, no commitment to taking up what was suggested, just friendly advice
The singer would usually be asked to bring their results back at a later date
Ewan acted as chairman so a mutually agreed line of work could be arrived at and embarked on
Following the 'criticism' a workable aspect of the discussion was selected and experimented with

Singing for criticism for the first time was the hardest thing have ever done, but after the first time it became easy and since those sessions I have never been nervous in front of an audience since
It worked brilliantly if you were prepared to put in the work and it could be adapted to be used by as little as four people (or less) and as many as a dozen (beyond that, it gets difficult)

The friendly intelligent approach of the singers involved never ceased to move me - shortly after I moved to London to join the group a knock came at the door of my bed-sit - it was Dick Snell, who 'happened to be passing and wondered if there was anything he could do to help me understand the Group work - and maybe go over to The Edinburgh Castle for a pint later?
It was the friendly, laid back generosity of the Group that makes the chosen title for the radio programme "How Folk Songs Should Be Sung" the misleading nonsense that it was
Many of these sessions were recorded and will, hopefully be fully archived and made accessible when I've sorted them out
They are totally unique and, in my opinion, an invaluable part of the Folk Song revival

I'll leave it there and continue later, if I am allowed
Jim Carroll