Although Renna continued in her work at Dartington, she became aware that chamber music appeared to be something of a neglected area in the conservatoires and music schools, something which eventually led her to start a summer course in the Lake District for keyboard and string players. That was in 1985: "The idea was to have Artists-in-Residence giving festival concerts as well as teaching and coaching in the summer school. So, at Lake District events, we have artists who play concerts, but who also teach during the day: both students and artists reside on the same campus and a close sense of community grows quickly. It's a great source of inspiration and information for inexperienced players, which, for me, is the most valuable thing any summer school can offer."

There seems to be a tinge of regret that her life became so oriented towards teaching that playing had to take a back seat, a situation that she is currently getting back into perspective. However, there remains in her voice an obvious delight when discussing those students she has been able to influence greatly: "Teaching is so important…nothing can be left to good luck or chance and you have to work out very carefully what the student needs in terms of both stamina and repertoire. On top of that you have to deal with personalities, and that can be difficult, since some may resist being told what to do in a prescriptive manner: many often don't realise how much they still have to learn, so teaching is not only about helping to provide their equipment as performers, but also about being flexible enough to encourage discussion and exchange ideas. It can be an enormously difficult and draining task, especially if one considers that there are so many different levels of attainment amongst conservatoire students. At one level, a student might join simply because of an intense love of music; at another, however, there is a driving-force behind the student to have a performing career in music…there's a huge difference between the two, which comes down not only to ability. To be a world-class performer, everything has to be right; you have to be physically well-endowed and coordinated, it is important to have a superb intelligence, a wonderful musical instinct and the fortitude to be able to cope with those inevitable peaks and troughs that performers often go through. With undergraduate students, you have four years of trining on physical, mental, philosophical and musical levels. The responsibility is huge and not to be shirked.

"You have to begin in as constructive manner as you possibly can, one in which students can have the utmost satisfaction from actually being able to perform something properly. At eighteen, they are full of enthusiasm and ambition. This all needs nurturing, feeding and structuring carefully through the process of learning and experiencing music, and the serious study of technical exercises to complement the repertoire is of utmost value."

Following retirement from the RNCM, Renna looks forward to continuing to teach both in her Manchester studio and as a guest at various conservatories and colleges in the USA, South Africa and the Far East. She is continuing as artistic director of Lake District Summer Music and undertaking concert engagements, for which several chamber music concerts are on the immediate horizon. "One's teaching evolves over the years in a creative manner in much the same way that one's performing does. Looking back, I realise how privileged I have been because I have inherited some wonderful traditions, traditions which I hope I have passed on to some of my students and younger colleagues."