Bounty Hound, I entirely recognise your description of a singaround. I am not suggesting that people should be prevented from participating, and it is in the nature of these things that the standard will be varied.

The point I am trying to make is that by allowing people to rely on books and cribs they are not being allowed the opportunity to improve, to train their memory and to gain confidence. I'm sure that even among those who just want to sing for the fun of it there are many would like to get better, and to know that the applause they get is genuine and not just a sympathy vote.

I'm not suggesting being prescriptive, but by establishing that the norm should be to perform without prompts if possible, and by offering gentle encouragement and help towards that, many people will find that their singing improves and their confidence increases without them. Of course, you can't reach everyone, and I'm not expecting everyone to achieve professional standards, but everyone should be encouraged to achieve their best. A culture which accepts the lowest standards unquestioningly may be encouraging to novices singing in public for the first time but offers them no incentive to improve.

My other point is that when it comes to one's own turn to sing then the other participants in a singaround deserve the same level of performance from you that you would hope to deliver to a more formal audience. In both cases the singer should be aspiring to produce their best performance.