People at my folk club have varying levels of ability from those who could be professional down to those who couldn't at present. Our youngest member is just a kid, and he only knows a handful of tunes, which we hear most weeks. (he does play them quite well and is coming along in leaps and bounds, its nice to watch.) On singers nights this is fine, and we give performance opportunities to those who are just getting into it and those of more limited skill. With time, the tuning improves as the nerves go away, the quavering goes, the volume increases, the repertiore broadens and those who started out as 'dubious' make an unmistakable march in the right direction. Some who at first hearing might have been written off bu the less tolerant have since grown to be very good performers and a real asset to the club. There's a good atmosphere as well, and I have to say that the vast majority of developping performers have never behaved in any sort of antisocial or demanding way.

I think there's a lot to be said for nurturing people and giving them a chance to develop. That said, come a guest night, only the people already performing at a high standard are asked to do spots - I've found that those who aren't so able are generally far less inclined to get up the front anyway. I've also found that if I open singer's nights to 'vote for the last few spots' it is always the really good singers/musicians who are asked to sing again. Everyone has to start somewhere, you need a balance between nurturing the beginners and showcasing the talents.