Mary - I agree with you completely.

Don - I agree also. I wish I was in Seattle in the early days of the Song Circle that you refer to. I'm afraid it hasn't changed much from the time you stopped going. However, every once in a while, mostly old-timers show up and some of the magic comes back. And I'm looking forward to Rainy Camp to meet again some other people from out of town. A couple if months ago I visited the Bellingham (WA) Song Circle and found it very enjoyable. I think they call it a "music circle" and people might also play an instrumental when their turn came. What impressed me was that people actually had been working on their song(s) to present, and even though they were not the best singers or instrumental players, there was evidence that they were seriously working at it and will improve with time. And there was quite a range of abilities, with Flip enthusiastically encouraging everyone.

I think any song with an easy singable chorus (even though it might be new, or particularly because it is new) goes over well. I also like a mixture of sing-along songs and individual solo performances that are well done.

Cheers, S. in Seattle