communal music

i had the privilege of hearing andy crouch speak, play music, and inspire the other day. he led us through a number of musical pieces and talked about what makes fine music whether it's the blues or Bach(he brought up points such as faithfulness to a form, indirectness, patience, experimentation, etc.) and how the same can be said for culture...which is pretty much everything we do. (see his site at http://www.culture-making.com/)
one thing that stood out was what he said about music having lost its communal nature over the years. he mentioned that music is listened to now more than ever, but it's also listened to in private more than not. now, don't get me wrong, i love my mp3s, but this fact struck a chord with me. he mentioned that family organs/pianos were once a centerpiece in living rooms because people actually gathered round and made music together. my parents have one such organ that dates back to the early 1900s:

on occasion i've witnessed my aunts and uncles gathering round the organ to sing. and my parents have been part of a monthly hymnsing group for...47 years...wow. so when's the last time you gathered round with your loved ones to sing?