My wife gets to hear me play, even though my music room is at the far end of the house. The sound funnels down the hallway like a sound chamber. If i'm practicing a tune, i'll crank up the song and play with it. She recently exclaimed, "sounds like you're ready, honey"! I hope thats a good thing, not ready for the roadside...
Most recently, i started playing with my church's praise band. So on Sundays, i get to play in front of 300 or so people. We got a new worship leader, and a different direction in our music program away from funeral dirges to upbeat contemporary music. My pastor thought the acoustic provided warmth to the sound, so i guess i did Ok. I hope the Lord thinks the same! By the way, i wouldn't have ever thought of playing in front of anyone as little as a year ago. I actually don't like being the center of attention. The Bluegrass class really helped with that. I have two helpful critics in my musical endeavors--my worship leader, who is quick to remind me if i'm off beat or my dynamics are off, and the Fretmentor, who is really helping me to appreciate the guitar and master it. If you can play in front of your teacher, you can play in front of anyone!