In 1929 Mary Ibberson (1892-1979), a local musician, first saw the need for teaching centres for beginners and for amateurs who wanted to continue their enjoyment of music beyond their time at school. Out of this came the idea for the Rural Music Schools Association (RMSA), which flourished to become a group of some 20 centres, mostly based on the county structure throughout England, with its headquarters at Little Benslow Hills.
The original concept of the association was to make good teaching available to amateurs of all ages, specifically in country towns and villages. Our charitable objects today reflect those beginnings by continuing to promote music education for social benefit through the study and practice of music, especially in its social and co-operative forms, amongst students of all ages.
In the beginning, the house, Little Benslow Hills (originally called Fairfield), was the home of Esther Seebohm (1861-1951). Both she and Mary Ibberson were Quakers and strongly believed in the Adult Education movement. Mary Ibberson was a gifted music teacher and administrator and involved Esther in the work of the RMSA. Upon her death at the age of 90, Esther left the house as a legacy to secure the future of the RMSA; she stipulated that the house should be used exclusively for the support of music.
From the beginning in 1929 until she retired in 1962, Mary Ibberson dedicated her life to organising and spreading the work of the Rural Music Schools throughout the country. Helen Wright took over as Director of the RMSA in 1962, having already been involved with the association for 22 years. In 1969 Jean Salder was appointed Director, after holding the position of Director of the Cornwall Rural Music School. The Director's baton was next passed to Geoffrey Brand 1975-1977, and then Norman Hearn 1979-1983. During these years, as the provision of music tuition by the local education authorities increased, the need for the RMSA centres diminished. This caused the centres to be closed down one by one.
Thanks to a generous donation, the Peter Morrison Recital Hall was added to the Hitchin centre in 1976. However, the association's increasing financial difficulties were reflected in the general countrywide recession. By 1978 the trustees of the time sought to sell the whole site for redevelopment. Fortunately this was prevented at the eleventh hour by a group of determined, mainly local, members who ousted the old council and formed a new group. By that time it became clear that our future lay in providing a 'home' in which as wide a variety as possible of amateur musicians could congregate. To support this level of activity and to make the necessary improvements to the facilities, it became clear that more funding was needed. In 1986, the trustees took the decision to change the organisation's name to Benslow Music Trust and to open membership to all. Prior to this, membership had been by invitation only. Since that time the membership has grown threefold to almost 1,500.
Directors who have made their mark at Benslow in more recent years are: Michael Proctor 1983-1993; Keith Stent 1993-1998; Helen Marshall 1998-2000; with Philip Meaden taking the new position and title of Chief Executive from 2001-2003.
During the past decade, many dedicated trustees have worked tirelessly for Benslow - a professional management team has been put in place; the facilities have been greatly enhanced; and the course programme has been extended considerably. A key factor in this development was the successful Lottery application, bringing £1.1million pounds into the organisation. The stipulation from the Arts Council of England was that the money was to be used to raise the standards and profile of Benslow's architecture. The resulting purpose built complex of recital hall, practice rooms and bedrooms effectively doubled our playing space and improved our ability to offer en-suite accommodation.
This project, together with the upgrading and refurbishment of our other facilities, would not have been possible without the support of our membership. We would like to take this opportunity of thanking you all for your contributions. Your support has ensured that the unique environment started by Mary Ibberson all those years ago still thrives in this modern age, enabling more and more people to benefit from the great enjoyment that collective music making can bring.