“I really enjoyed Gareth's approach to sound and good tone production and definitely learned a lot from this class. His explanations are very logical, clear, and easy to understand. I had a light-bulb moment when he discussed focusing and aiming your air to the strike wall! Thank you!”

Amoré, Isle of Mann - eFluteFest

“Gareth's classes for the eflutefest have all been incredibly informative and accessible - and fun. He uses brilliant analogies, making it easier for flute players of all abilities to understand and translate what he is saying into their own playing.”

Eileen, Peterborough - eFluteFest

“I attended an on-line flute session as part of the E Flute Festival. Gareth's session on Demystifying Great Flute Tone was incredibly informative and helpful. For the first time i really understood the importance of being able to play "loud" sounding notes in the lower register with better control of the air-stream. It was also quite a revelation that to get the notes in top register to sing/sound beautiful rather than sound like piercing shrill notes is to blow soft slow air. His analogy to different coffees helped to understand the whole concept of different colours whilst playing. I would highly recommend this session to any aspiring flute player.”

Catherine, Purley - eFluteFest

 “I loved this session! This was just what my students needed and I loved it is well. Gareth is a wonderful flutist and personality and was so relatable in this format. He is terrific at explaining things so that everyone feels comfortable and learns as much as possible. This was a real treat for my studio. Thank you to Gareth for this outstanding experience!”

Julie, Denver CO – University Flute Studio Class

Masterclass with Students at Boston Flute Academy, Brookline, MA, USA - March 2016

“I loved this session. I thought this class was very informative. It was a lot to think about and try in our playing. Also he was extremely helpful with in answering questions and demonstrating what he was explaining.”

Leslie, Plymouth, NH – University Flute Studio Class

“It was fantastic! Loved the analogies, esp. the tone color analogy to different coffees; espresso verses latte. Loved the anecdotal stories. Gareth has a lovely sound and was able to demonstrate several different tone colors through zoom - which is amazing. He has a lot of personality and explains ideas and concepts clearly in a fun way.”

Aubrie, Plymouth, NH – University Flute Studio Class

“What a wonderful teacher Gareth is! Explained elements of tone and colour so clearly and well! And I appreciate how he adapted the session to our needs. I hope he does other classes in the future!!!!”

Anne, Haynes Online Seminar/Haynes University

“The diagrams were very helpful. Visualizing concepts that can be difficult to understand. Loved the coffee analogy. Also the picture of the girl and the location and distance of the strike wall for different notes. Very helpful.”

Barbara, Haynes Online Seminar/Haynes University

“Even though I've been playing flute for 40+ years, Gareth gave me a new perspective in how a flute player creates tone. I think I was subconsciously doing a lot of the things he mentioned, but now I can practice them more deliberately.”

Julia, Haynes Online Seminar/Haynes University

“Very concise and approachable session - lots of great info to ponder on. Turns the thinking upside down. Brilliant strategy for those with a handle on the instrument. I wonder how my younger pupils would cope whilst also trying to learn to hold/tongue/read etc but a fantastic approach to compliment my teaching. Gareth is very engaging and down to earth which is refreshing!”

Gwen, Haynes Online Seminar/Haynes University

“Gareth has changed my approach to tone color, bringing emotion into my music, and overall elevation (I hope) of performance. Thank you so much!!! Such a great speaker.”

Karlotta, Haynes Online Seminar/Haynes University

“I really enjoyed how engaging Gareth was throughout the whole presentation—he was very knowledgeable about the subject and the whole presentation was very informative but also fun to attend. I especially liked the coffee analogy, because it gave me a much clearer understanding of how to think about tone colors than I had had before. I also really appreciated the emphasis on how playing with emotion and character rather than solely focusing on the technical aspect of performance helps us to truly connect with our audiences and convey the deeper meaning of the music that the composers wrote.”

Phoebe, Haynes Online Seminar/Haynes University

“Gareth McLearnon's lecture at the Marina Piccinini International Master Class Online was phenomenal. The slide presentation is wonderful as well but it would be such a gift to others to include his lecture on Colo(u)r and Emotion. I came away from it with so much inspiration and ideas of what I want to work on after only one hour.”

Donna, Marina Piccinini Online Masterclass 2020

“Greatly enjoyed Gareth McLearnon’s presentation on Demystifying great flute tone. Clear concise information with good graphics. Enjoyed fascinating video of throat in action. Wow. Makes you so much more aware of what is happening in side so something beautiful can come out. Appreciate file being available so I could skip note taking and try during things during seminar. Direction of air for registers, good graphics. Appreciated him playing examples to clarify. Would’ve been nice to hear just a short excerpt of something he likes to play. Or even since we are muted he plays something and we play along so we can hear and try to emulate.”

MaryAnn, Haynes Online Seminar/Haynes University

“It was incredibly informative and the level of information was perfect for the group of attendees. Gareth was personable and entertaining, and kept the session interesting.”

Lucrezia, Haynes Online Seminar/Haynes University

“I have been playing flute for 33 years, (25 Professionally) I loved the way Gareth explained all of these concepts. One of the things which really jumped out at me was the air direction against the strike-wall. I have had this explained to me so many ways throughout the years, but this is the first time it actually made sense! (I had never heard of a strike-wall before now...) It was really cool to see how the instructions he gave were able to help me open my tone up!

It was also wonderful to get to hear about how the flutes are made, and the amount of care and craftsmanship which goes into each instrument. It is obvious your artisans have such a passion for what they do! No wonder I have fallen in love with Haynes... I'm currently saving so my next flute can be a Haynes!”

Tim, Haynes Online Seminar/Haynes University