Probably not Ref. I wasn't the one who came up with the "elite" term, that was Ron's. Ron & Ref when I go to Rome I do as the Romans. I was at the Christmas gathering that I mentioned above. I don't sing Christmas songs at all, I know only one that I can lead, so I was perfectly content to listen in on what others were doing & to join in on the choruses when I could and lend myself to the group but when there's a bunch singing from books & can't follow never mind lead & I can't even lend then you can keep it, & there's not even any chat except "that was nice, now turn to page 59", it's not fun, it's boring, if my son had been there he'd have raked me over the coals.
If this was a sponsered sing by a folk song society it should've been supported by the singers of that society it was opened & public & advertised, if it's too boring for it's own members to support it then there's something wrong with the sing & the society itself, not me. I don't go to dance when I'm not gonna at least enjoy watching others dance if I can't. And I can't dance anymore due to broken feet but I do enjoy watching good dancers dance. But I'm not gonna go to a dance to watch the dancers trip over themselves, it might be laughable but not for me, I want it to be enjoyable, I don't want to study dancers, I want to enjoy the beauty of the dancers dancing & having a ball, I'll go to a dancing school if I want to see dancers trip over themselves & learn. Yet I can go to a dance festival (NEFFA) & watch all levels of dancers, dancing together enjoying themselves while not feel as if I'm at dance class watching the teacher teach. But I'm not gonna attend a sing where it's a reading class, no thanks, I got better things to do & enjoy with my time, I'd rather be watching mold grow on bread. If you prefere to go to a session where everyone reads from a book, please be my guest. When I go to a sing & see that it's all book types I wonder where's the rounding out of the group, where's the ones who don't do books, where's there weak you need strong, where there's bad you need good, where there the unsure you need the sure footed. You can't have it all one way, either way. You need to have everyone but you don't need books to have that. The books themselves aren't the problem, the problem is in the folks that "THINK" they need books to get by with. When we all join in together the only support anyone needs comes from each other not from books, that's where the lift comes from. It's just as nice to pull or to be pulled along in a sing as it is to push or be be pushed as it is ti glide along at where ever pace you choose that way everybody's going in the same direction & headed for the same place, even if they don't get there at the same time or by the same way. If you want a roadmap to go by then go sing in a bookstore or library, stay out of way of others.

Poppagator, one of the sings I go to on a regular basis there's a mix of songs & tunes, generally it's about 50/50 depending if it's attended by the same amount of singers as musicians, some nights it goes more one way than the other. Another session I go to there are no tunes but some folks bring instruments. Among the roughly 50 that go there for the music (not just the drink) I'd say 25 sing (actually many more mumble & sing along under their breath) of that maybe 5 or 6 or 7 bring along an instrument, there are very few really strong singers at this one, just a lot of mildmannered singers that like to sing (without books). The festival sessions at Mystic or the getaway or the like are mostly a capella and are generally packed solid with singers & with those that only sing as back up or on chourses but they're along side of those that don't sing at all but love to listen or mumble. They are not as Ron says all "afficiandos".
The Irish sessions I go to there's not much singing anymore 25 yrs ago there was loads of sessions with singing as well as dancing & recitations & stories but these days in the Boston area there's maybe at least 2 different going on nightly & most don't encourage singing or anything else aside from one & there you are mostly called upon to sing & you'd better be right on with your song & have it down otherwise it'll be a cold day in hell before you're called upon again, if the crowd likes you you can sing as you please. This is an 'old timers session where some of the musicians are those that have been playing since coming over & playing in the "Dudley St sessions" from the 40's & 50's. The musicians are all pretty good at that session though they welcome warmly & very much encourage those that are not up to speed to & they have a slow session that proceeds the regular session this session is different they play at an up paced but not fast space, other sessions where it's almost they pro don't like this session as much because it's speed does not exclude the slower players but those slower players evedientually catch up quick enough, no music stands though. I prefere the sessions that are welcoming & include everyone who can do, to do. As I said there a slow session for those that are beginning/learning or can't yet do.
This is also the largest session I've ever seen, it's regularly attend by about 30 musicians early in the evening, if there's a festival in town 50 & musicians sitting on the side waiting for an opening.

Barry