When the Young Coppers performed on stage at Dartmoor Folk Festival last year, they were visibly moved and delighted to see and hear many of the the audience joining in their songs and knowing all the words, and afterwards they said how much they'd enjoyed hearing the songs come back to them from the crowd. It obviously meant a lot to them to see that these songs that they'd learned within the family were known and loved by so many other people hundreds of miles from their home ground.

It's be a sad old state of affairs we'd reached if every time anyone started to sing, even in an informal setting, nobody else joined in unless specifically asked. Singing together (and yes, in harmony sometimes) is older than civilisation and happens all over the world wherever people gather to work, march, dance or just enjoy themselves.

And Jim, it's not a mattter of elitism, it's about the formality or informality of the occasion. I have sometimes taken part in informal sessions at a bigger event where eminent singers and musicians were present, and where everyone joined in songs or tunes as it seemed appropriate, but when those same performers got up on a different occasion to give a concert performance or a guest spot, we would listen in respectful silence unless given some cue that we should join in.

Marje