No Singing Please!

We celebrated Max's 4th birthday last weekend; pass the parcel, preschool friends and a chocolate cake in the shape of a boat. All seemed to go well; the sun shone, no-one scraped a knee, that is until our rendition of 'Happy Birthday'.  It reduced the recipient of the song to tears. I know he has a specific music taste (punk pop and hard rock it seems), but does that mean the family's tuneless efforts are going to be banished forever? These were not passing tears, the boy was gasping for breath at points, his face red and wet. Rage? Embarrassment? Offended sensibilities? The following day, his actual birthday, when we went to preschool, his teacher took him by the hand and I told him I'd be back later with cupcakes. I heard him tell the teacher...'but I don't want anyone to sing.'  So a few hours later, twenty friends sat around three separate tables on kindergarten chairs licking frosting saying 'Yummy, yummy in my_______' and ending the sentence with every noun possible except 'tummy' and giggling into their spongecake, and we didn't sing.  One rather zealous boy began a loud 'Haaaap...' but was reminded of Max's birthday rule and got back to the serious business of butter icing and giggles.