After graduating he joined the English String Quartet, at a time when its viola player was Frank Bridge.
In his teaching, he was concerned that there should be a strong technical base; also that, in achieving a good interpretation, the line of the music should be considered.
His pupils included Hugo Cole, Amaryllis Fleming, Martin Lovett, Thelma Reiss and James Whitehead.
In 1929 he founded a summer school at Westminster College, Cambridge, sponsored by the British Federation of Music Festivals; it is regarded as the first of its kind.
He communicated his musical intention to his pupils in some remarkable way which seems impossible to put into words.