This month’s guest blogger is Janna Hüneke, Founder and Lead Tutor at Flute School London. She tells us how a desire to provide opportunities for flautists to play together evolved into Flute School London - an annual course particularly aimed at adult learners. She outlines the programme's emphasis on ensemble playing, as well as its focus on building confidence and the simple joy of playing music - values that we at The Music Workshop Company certainly shares.
Read on to learn more about the 2026 course and some of Flute School London's sister projects, including an online learning programme for adults.
I grew up in a musical family, and the joy of making chamber music with others has stayed with me since my teenage years. From the very beginning of my teaching career, I wanted my students to experience that same sense of enjoyment in shared music-making. This naturally led me to play alongside them – on both piano and flute – whenever possible.
Over the years, I’ve met many adult learners who’ve longed for an ensemble to play in, yet opportunities for flautists have always been limited. Most orchestras only need two or perhaps three flute players at most. So, around the year 2000, my friend and colleague Kate Grace and I founded Flute Ensemble London. We began by rehearsing in my central London flat, later moving to Great Ormond Street and then to the rehearsal rooms at All Flutes Plus in Chiltern Street.
The ensemble was never intended as a fixed membership group. In time however, a core of regular players emerged, and from this group grew everything that followed.
A New Kind of Flute Course
Both Kate and I remembered discouraging experiences on flute courses when we were younger – environments that felt intimidating rather than nurturing. We wanted to create the opposite: a course that was accessible, enriching, and above all positive. A place where players could grow musically without fear of judgement, while enjoying meaningful ensemble playing.
In 2009, we launched Flute School London, originally a five-day non-residential course in Swiss Cottage. Every day featured a distinguished guest artist who led masterclasses and workshops and gave a short recital. We also ran a parallel Junior Course, which thrived for several years until venue changes made it difficult to continue.
The courses required a huge amount of organisation but over time we refined the model. Today, the annual London course runs for three days, with the main programme over the weekend and optional individual lessons and piano-time with me and Simon Gilliver available on the Friday. Participants can book one, two, or all three days to suit their schedules and budgets.
Throughout all our events, the focus remains the same: musical growth, confidence building, and the sheer joy of playing. Our in-person courses are designed for players of approximately Grade 5 level and above, particularly adult learners and those returning to the flute, (though younger participants are welcome if they are comfortable in an adult environment). Participants often find they meet old friends and new ones, and this community aspect of our events is becoming increasingly important to many.
The Power of Ensemble Playing
Most musicians crave the shared experience of ensemble playing, and we provide ample opportunities for this – both in person and online. Even our digital programme includes live “playalong” sessions designed to make ensemble music accessible from home.
We continue to invite a guest artist each year for the London course and have been privileged to welcome many outstanding flautists: Michael Cox, Ian Clarke, Rachel Brown, Gareth Davies, Matthew Featherstone, Gareth McLearnon, Andy Findon, Paul Edmund-Davies, Lisa Nelsen, and others. Guest artists typically lead a masterclass (with pre-selected performers), give a 45-minute lunchtime recital, and offer an additional workshop. Participants consistently describe these sessions as inspiring and transformative.
My colleagues Abbie Burrows, Simon (and often Holly Cook) and I also perform at our events, because we believe it’s so valuable for students to see their teachers practising what they preach.
l-r: Abbie Burrows, Janna Hüneke, Holly Cook and Simon Gilliver of Flute School London
We’re fortunate to have Simon, a superb flautist, teacher, and pianist, on our team. He accompanies all performances with great sensitivity. Abbie is also an invaluable member of the team, with her seemingly bottomless well of teaching ideas and her infectious sense of fun. I find that I always learn something myself, from observing any of my colleagues teaching – and I feel very fortunate in being able to experience that.
Looking ahead, our guest artist for 2026 will be Anna Noakes, who will bring her pianist, Leo Nicholson, to our three-day course in late February/early March. Also, Kate Grace will be returning after many years, this time in her capacity as Music Therapist, to give a talk/workshop. We always like to include an item each year which is related to flute playing but not directly about it. In the past we’ve had visiting teachers of Feldenkrais, Yoga, Alexander Technique, Dalcroze, a breath specialist and a representative of BAPAM (British Association for Performing Arts Medicine).
e-Flute Academy and New Resources
Along with Abbie I also run our sister organisation, the e-Flute Academy, an online learning programme for adults that centres on unique live sessions.
I genuinely love teaching adult learners – they are enthusiastic, reflective, and eager to develop their skills.
This passion led me to write a new book, The Flute Unwrapped, published in July 2025. It’s designed for players returning to the flute who may want help rebuilding technique or finding more enjoyable ways to practise skills such as scales.
It includes backing tracks and a range of originally written musical exercises, which make practice fun, engaging and effective, taking the tedium out of scale-work and other technique practice.
Beyond London: A Growing Network
In addition to our main London events, we host Flute Days throughout the year and are always open to invitations from other regions. In Cambridge, where I live, I founded Stapleford Flutes – a dedicated adult ensemble that meets fortnightly during term time. I also teach an annual course in France, run a biennial residential course in Cornwall, and travel to Norfolk several times a year to coach a small group there.
All of these initiatives now operate under the umbrella of Flute School London, and reflect our mission to create welcoming, supportive and inspiring musical communities wherever there is enthusiasm for learning.
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