About Us
Hannah and Ellie met at The Godolphin & Latymer School in 1994, and have been friends ever since. They shared a love of music, classic literature and films, spending hours listening to music and imagining what stories it was telling.
Ellie went on to become a director in theatre, and Hannah a musician, bringing stories from all of history to life through their different arts.
As mothers and teachers, they understand first-hand how stressful the educational system can be for young people, and Kensal Workshops was born from their drive to change this. They have both taught for many years, bringing their combined experience across the arts and education in general to create truly unique, immersive days which remind everyone what a joy it is to learn!
Read more about our individual backgrounds and reviews of our work below.
HANNAH
Hannah studied Music at Edinburgh, specialising in composition. Driven by the need to understand the huge emotional impact of music, she later went on to do a Masters in Music Neuroscience & Psychology.
She has been teaching, performing, composing and writing about music for the last 20 years, and runs a music school in London which specialises in fun, engaging music workshops for young people.
She also spent many years working in the music industry as a researcher, and has conducted a wide variety of academic research on the impact of music on behaviour and emotion.
She is passionate about the benefits of music for mental health, connection and confidence and has a strong interest in the psychology of learning, and the importance of fun and creativity in education to help develop a lifelong love of learning.
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ELLIE
After graduating from Edinburgh with a first class degree in History and a tonne of student plays under her belt, Ellie went on to train at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in Directing.
For the last fifteen years she has worked predominantly in theatre, directing productions for companies including the Royal Shakespeare Company, The Barbican, The Almeida and Shakespeare’s Globe. She also works in audio drama, directing for Audible, and has recently made her first film. She is currently developing several new writing projects for stage and screen.
In addition to her directing work she is passionate about education and training, and has worked for many educational bodies including: RADA, LAMDA, The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, The Royal Academy of Music, The Shakespeare Institute, Birmingham University and East 15.
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Reviews
Eleanor directs with an assurance that should make her a permanent fixture at the Globe.
The Guardian ★★★★
I genuinely can't thank you enough! She came home on Saturday buzzing. It's such a gift to make learning enjoyable and you clearly have it.
- Parent
A Midsummer Night's Dream for the Royal Shakespeare Company, starring Mathew Baynton
The Guardian ★★★★★
The Times ★★★★
'Joyous and smart.'
Energy and invention abound. Remarkable.
Evening Standard ★★★★
She received her result this morning. She was awarded a distinction 73/75 score. Thank you so much for achieving what seemed to be the impossible in one weekend …. Helping her regain her self confidence.
- Parent
We were extremely lucky to have found these courses. Thanks to Hannah’s lessons and great advice our daughter swam through the preparation and the exam itself with ease and achieved a distinction!
- Parent