A grand way for getting folks to try a new song circle is having one or more strong singers/performers willing to anchor it, whose name alone will create interest. Instrumental and singing teachers likewise have a ready made entourage.

I've been involved in several song circles in Cleveland Ohio - midwestern area with a no-so-great traditional music attitude these days. In years past, the best song circle was led by a couple of very strong traditional singers who were performing, playing for dances (Dick Swain & Dermot Sommerville). Though both were deft instrumentalists, but they ran this as a traditional acapella sort of session. I don't think there were ever any more than a dozen people there, but those sessions were incredible. 20 years on, I still remember parts of them. Most of the folks were there by word of mouth from concerts and dances, and some folk newsletter announcements.

I went from there to a well established song circle in Illinois that gave me my idea of what a session should ideally be (everyone gets a turn, some solo, some requesting sing alongs, most playing without book or lead sheet). (Fox Valley Illinois, where Mudcatter Phil Cooper is a regular).

I missed those sessions for years, and started up a folk oriented song circle for about 8 years, co-hosting with a couple singers who played guitar, Deborah VanKleef for most of those years. We didn't have the following that Dick & Dermot had and by being "nice" we endured some pretty wretched stuff. We got some folks from advertising at festivals, in the folk society newsletter and for awhile at the coffee house that hosted it the first year or so. Again, never got very big.

A group of folks doing a retro/reunion/nostalgia thing over a long gone venue that had been critical to our local folk scene in the 60s/70s, put together a song session for awhile that was drawing a good crowd. It wasn't democratic, though - the local name folks who were the draw did most of the song leading.

Years after I folded the session we'd started, the folk society started one that was consciously based on using "Rise Up Singing." I tried it a few times, but it was a dreadful experience: total ignorance of any sort of session politeness. The strongest instrumentalist who'd come would barge into everyone's song. "Acapella" was an unknown concept: "but I can figure out the chords!" No strong personality there to say "NO" and I felt it would be impolite for me to be the heavy, so I just left. They never got too many people, either.

Some of the best sessions (mixed singing and tunes) that I remember have been the "after the concert" party sessions. There have been a couple REALLY fine Irish sessions at a local college where a visiting folk luminary was brought in to anchor the session (Liz Carroll, Mick Maloney). The sessions in the same place still brought in good crowds when it was just the locals. Mostly tunes, but some amazing singing, particularly from some of the older instrumentalists, who nobody knew sang!

A very new session, just a couple months old, holds some serious promise if we don't get overrun/outnumbered by the bluegrass guys who will politely steamroller you. It's got Irish, blues, old time, bluegrass, folk and oldtime jazz so far. It hasn't found it's personality yet, but it does get a dozen strong tune players, some great singers, and a few tentatives players (strong singer) like m'self.

Having a strong personality in charge who can be kind, but firm surely helps.
Trying to be all things to all people just gets you nowhere (sigh).

It's felt to me much better to have a small, regular song circle than something too large or diverse to handle. Larger groups need a single focus and lots of common repertoire (Irish, bluegrass, blues) A small group of people who love singing together is it's own blissful reward.

I wish you much joy, pleasure and success in this endeavor

Joanne in Cleveland (the one in Ohio that's full of snow, single digit temps and cranky people)