After 25 years, Claudia Hawkins will no longer be allowed to teach children music from her Pascagoula home.
On Tuesday, the City Council denied her request for a variance to teach piano and violin to eight to 10 children two or three days a week at her Larchmont Street home.
Hawkins said she would teach about 10 students for a fee, and that money would allow between eight to 12 more to be taught for free.
After Hurricane Katrina destroyed some children's instruments, Hawkins created the Singing River Youth Orchestra and obtained grants to help replace their instruments.
Neighbors Lamar Reed and Nick Russo said they applaud Hawkins' work with youngsters but opposed her request because of the influx of traffic it generates and the evening and weekend hours she proposed.
I have fond memories of going to my music teacher's house for my piano lessons. I imagine a great many of us do. And after 25 years it seems a bit silly that "traffic" is just now a problem. What happens if someone on the street wants to have a party? are they going to be told they can't by Lamar Reed and Nick Russo because it will generate traffic!!!!!! As for the evening and weekend hours, when else would they expect her to teach public school students? That is the only time they can come during the school year.
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2 comments:
This doesn't make sense. Wouldn't the city want her to make money to pay taxes to maintain the street in front of her house and her neighbors?
It didn't make sense to me either. Especially as she was doing so much for the community. Now these same people will complain that their kids don't have anything to do.
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