A visiting Russian once told us that at a Russian party, everyone is expected to contribute to the entertainment. If you can't sing, you recite something. If you can't play an instrument, you sing for someone who does.

I suspect that is how it used to be with parties in the west, before radio and television came along to show us how it's done. With the standards set by professionals in the studios- never mind that they may have done the same tune or song seven times before it was deemed acceptable- the passive viewer is intimidated beyond any thought of doing it himself.

That's one reason I think it's so important to have 'homegrown' music, a place where everyone should feel safe enough to share something that pleases him or moves him in some way. One of the pluses of maturity is the belated recognition that imperfection doesn't kill!