My first school was the Penrith Brunswick Road Infants School followed by The Penrith Boys County School which I attended until 1956
I then attended Ermysted's Grammar School, Skipton (North Yorkshire) from 1956 to 1964 where I was in the Boarding House (School House) of the school.
I then studied for a Degree in Civil Engineering at The University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) from where I graduated in 1967
In 1967 I Joined the employ of Cumberland (Now Cumbria) County Council as a Highway Engineer and remained broadly in that capacity with that County until my early retirement in September 1995.
While at Ermysted's Grammar School I was introduced to the flute which I took to with relish. I made rapid progress and after one term the school Music teacher sought out a flute teacher for me by contacting Bill Morris, Piccolo Player in the Halle Orchestra. There were no woodwind peripatetic teachers available at school at that time. I continued lessons with him until his untimely death in a car accident in 1961. His influence on my playing was profound and as soon as I started with him I changed to a Wood flute (Cundy Bettoney), later to be replaced by a Thinned head Rudall Carte.
On his death I found it difficult to settle with any one teacher though I did have some lessons with Douglas Townshend, Liz Peerles, (Both of the Halle) and from Alan Bourne, a New Peripatetic Flute teacher at the school.
While at school I gave many recitals at school music concerts and for the Skipton Music Club and the Penrith Music Club. A Brass peripatetic teacher (Ex Halle Trumpet Player and Composer - Arthur Butterworth) "adopted" me and took me to the weekly rehearsals of the Huddersfield Philharmonic Orchestra which he conducted. This proved to be a valuable early introduction to orchestral playing
While at College in Manchester I was principal flute in The University of Manchester Orchestra.
I have lived near Carlisle since 1968 when I married my Childhood Sweethart, Gillian, whom I have known since we were 9 years old. We have one Son, David, who is 31 and works for a waste recycling agency. We have two cats, Mother Tasha and Daughter Polly.
Gillian's claim to fame is that the son of her Father's Cousin is Tim Berners Lee, the man that invented both the HTML language on which this web page is written and the World Wide Web - www.
I am a founder member of the Carliol Wind Quintet which we formed in 1976. I have also given many solo recitals locally in the past.
The greatest influence on my Flute Playing was my attendance at International Summer School at Ramsgate for two successive years in 1981 and 1982. The teachers on this course included, Geoffrey Gilbert, William Bennett, Trevor Wye, Peter Lucas Graf, Kate Hill, and Clare Southworth. Kate Hill and Clare Southworth gave me invaluable one to one lessons and I attended all classes given by the other players. My whole concept of flute technique changed together with my changing to playing a metal flute - a Muramatsu in 1980. However since the acquisition of a wood Bigio Head joint (in 2001) I have reverted to playing a wood flute, the combined qualites being somewhat superior to the gold/silver combination. I now own two Rudall Carte Wood flutes - one with plated keywork and the other (made in 1928) with beautiful solid silver keywork. I no longer play on metal flutes having reverted exclusively to wood flutes.
I attended, on a few occasions, The Lakeland Flute Courses which were run by Clare Southworth. While there I had the fortune to witness some of the finest flute teaching available.
I attended the NFA 25th anniversary Flute Convention in Chicago in August 1997
Together with my friend Larry Krantz, I attended the British Flute Society 1999 International Convention in Manchester where Larry and I gave two lectures on the use of the computer for flute players / teachers and on the FLUTE discussion group and flute on the internet. I am one of the four list managers of the internet international discussion group (FLUTE)
I am proud to be one of the four list managers who run the successful and popular internet discussion list called FLUTE.
I successfully taught flute in my spare time from 1967 to 1985 when pressure of my full time job called this activity to a halt. I started teaching again in September 1995 and currently have about 20 pupils to whom I give a lot of attention and some of whom are having considerable success. Flute Teaching in now my main occupation.
I am also Membership Secretary of the British Flute Society and can recommend that society to all flute players whichever country they live.
email john@fluteweb.net