There was a series, made with this particular problem in mind, about the English Country Dance - John Kirkpatrick and his family did a wonderful little series that was shown as part of the Schools television programmes (made it very difficult when we took Bratling to see JK in concert, she associated him with dance and wouldn't keep still and we were asked to leave.... won't be going back to see him again in a hurry).

However, the emphasis in Bratlings' school are for seasonal non-religious songs, topic orientated songs and specific songs for any end of term productions (Yellow Submarine for an underwater theme, Summer Holiday for end of year concert, that sort of thing). Any folk songs she learns are 'accidental' or revival stuff from the 1960's and 70's.

There is plenty of opportunity to teach children traditional music, but the best thing to teach them, is the love of music - once you have that, they can look for any sort of music, from Art Thieme to Zadok the Priest, and choose what they want to perform. The more you force a particular variety of musical form at a child, the more likely that child is to veer the opposite way - which is why my school books were full of Handel and Beethoven, and my record collection is full of the Wurzels and Led Zeppelin.

LTS