The International Journal of Traditional Arts

Editorial

Fay Hield — 2026-01-30

Experiences of accessing folk singing in England

Fay Hield — 2026-01-30

Folk singing in England today is dominated by people in a narrow demographic profile. Calls from within the folk scene for increased diversity have not yielded change. Existing literature suggests solutions from within the practice, but lacks insight into the perspectives of marginalised people and non-participants. Learning how to increase and diversify participation in folk singing is the Access Folk project’s goal. Stage one sought to understand where we are now, through the eyes of participants and non-participants, to ascertain the adaptations needed to facilitate their involvement. We have engaged with over a thousand people through four data collection projects: a survey, extended focus groups, a peer interview scheme, and artistic research. These findings will be used in stage two to develop potential solutions. Despite a desire for inclusivity, barriers persist, including events tailored to specific preferences and a lack of knowledge from non-singers about the activities and from organisers about the needs of those they want to attract. While many people feel accepted, both insiders and outsiders view the folk scene as potentially unwelcoming or unsafe for certain groups, highlighting a contradiction between the desire for diversity and existing structural or ideological limitations. Recognising and addressing these factors will be crucial for increasing accessibility and diversity in folk singing activities.

‘I’d better not sing that here’

Paul Mansfield — 2026-01-30

This article focuses on how amateur folk singers approach performing in different live music settings, particularly those outside their regular and familiar environments. The paper incorporates personal experience, a small sample of interviews with local singers in the East Midlands of England and observational data. The interview responses indicate a range of strategies being employed by singers to balance their preferred repertoire choices –especially when the preference is for traditional song –with the circumstances of the specific event. This strategic thinking may, it is argued, reflect underlying issues about definitions of and assumptions about folk music as a genre. The discussion suggests that the situations that confront singers are complex, combining implicit stereotypes about what folk singers do (or should) sing and the multiple features that create the totality of the live music event for performers and audiences. It could, indeed, be held that relatively little about a performance event is controllable by the performer themselves. This is particularly relevant when a singer is performing in an unfamiliar place to an unfamiliar audience. Lastly, the paper proposes that, notwithstanding the challenges posed by different environments and audiences, the unclear boundaries of what constitutes folk music may provide positive opportunities for communities and performers to repurpose folk repertoire for their own objectives.

Embracing the Melange

Laura Midgley — 2026-01-30

What Are People Singing in Folk Song Clubs?

Hugh Miller — 2026-01-30

Access Issues in English Folk Singing Styles and Techniques

Jessie Thompson — 2026-01-30

Rolling On

Tony James Phillips — 2026-01-30

Rosslyn Court in Margate

Christopher Butler — 2026-01-30