In the past, singing was an integral part of childrens' education up to the age of 11 in the UK and the children had a common repertoire because of national singing schemes, in particular the BBC series "Singing Together". Unfortunately, the attitude to singing in junior schools is now more haphazard and many music teachers who do teach singing seem to be of the opinion that "we have our own book of songs".

I'm really not too sure how important it is for children to see professional singers of any persuasion. I do think, though, that one of the most important things that can happen from the point of view of traditional; song is that the majority of children should be given a common repertoire basic of songs they can sing themselves.

:-)
Ian