DANCING UPON THE EARTH

When they perform for children, Paul and Win Grace's mission is make them realize how much fun playing music is.

They distribute spoons, teach the children to dance and invite them to sing along. The idea is new for many of them. "The current culture has reinforced a passive attitude toward music," Win says.

But spoons? The hits Paul and Win sing come with titles like ""Cluck Old Hen," "Wild Rose of the Mountain" and "The Old Church Bell."

They play American old time music, traditional folk and the kind of country music that came out of Nashville many decades ago.

They'll perform that music at 7 p.m. Friday at Glenn Auditorium in the business building at Southeast Missouri State University. The concert is a benefit for KRCU-FM.

Though they grew up in families where music was played, neither Paul nor Win began performing in public until well into their 20s.

Paul had had a guitar at 14 and was a Kingston Trio fan. Win's musical revelation came in 1973 at a concert where she heard the autoharp played for the first time. That night, she slept in her car outside the music store where she bought her first autoharp the next morning.

Playing music together was part of their courting. Now the Columbia couple have been playing together for 23 years.

Win's philosophy toward their career is embodied by the lyrics to one of the tunes they perform, "Dance Upon the Earth.

"I'm going to dance upon this Earth, I'm going to find the joy in all this madness."

She says Paul, who has a reputation as a jester, gets his outlook from those famous philosophers Moe, Larry and Curly.

The Graces started as a duo. He picked up the fiddle and harmonica as well, she learned the accordion. As their daughters, Leela and Ellie, grew up they gently were incorporated into the act. At first they played spoons and bones and did some clogging. Later they became instrumentalists, singers and songwriters.

Leela and Ellie leaned toward more contemporary folk music and were mentored by other folkies like Sally Rogers, Cathy Barton and Dave Para.

The family's music has been heard on "CBS Sunday Morning" and the NPR show "River City Folk," which is aired by KRCU-FM at 8 p.m. Saturdays.

In 1995, the Grace family performed at the Roots of American Music Festival at Lincoln Center. On the same bill were Kris Kristofferson, Ricky Skaggs, John Gorka and Tom Paxton.

As a duo and with their family, Paul and Win Grace have released five albums: "A Place in the Choir," "Fifty Miles of Elbow Room," "Carved Out of Time," "In Dream I Hear the Music" and "Dance Upon the Earth."

They sell the tapes and CDs at every concert they play. They have a mailing list of 4,000 to 5,000 people who come hear them whenever they're in the vicinity. That's how folk musicians survive, through the small but ardent subculture of folk fans.

"When people think of folk music they think of the Kingston Trio and Peter, Paul and Mary," Win says. "They're not aware of the vital folk music scene going on now."

Leela and Ellie are students at Columbia College now and have their own duo, though they're concentrating more on school. So Paul and Win are back where they started in a sense, playing the songs that won them to folk music in the first place.

One night they might perform at a folk festival, the next night at an old time country dance. School assemblies, community concerts and living history events are on their schedule as well.

"We are full service entertainers," says Paul wryly.