Jeff, Peter and Annie Blood-Patterson are responsible only for the preparation of a suggested list of songs for the new "Rise Up Singing." Sing Out! Magazine has control of everything after that, and the Blood-Pattersons did not know whether there will be teaching tapes or not.
Now, Barry, I'm all for outlawing guns, but to outlaw "Rise Up Singing" is going way too far. Please reconsider.
Barry, was the San Francisco song circle the one Faith Petric is active in? I can't picture Faith sticking to a songbook. She's a wonderful performer. Every song she sings is like a treasure she wants to share with her audience.
But I have to say that "Rise Up Singing" has actually broadened the number of songs I can use for group singing. It used to be that if I wanted people to sing, I had to always choose very simple songs, mostly songs with a chorus and lots of verses that I could sing in between. With a songbook, a group can sing entire songs. the trick is to have people planted in the group who are interested in keeping the music fresh. If the circle makes sure that a few new songs are introduced every session, the group remains lively.
-Joe Offer-