Residents are picking up the pieces of Wallaceburg District Secondary School's cancelled music program.
Decreased enrollment and the retiring of music teacher Dave Babbitt prompted administration to shut down music classes this year.
But now Babbitt is working with the Lambton-Kent District School Board to provide music lessons for all ages. Babbitt will serve as music director, with the Wallaceburg and District Council For The Arts paying to rent the school's instruments and rehearsal space from the board.
"[We'll teach] two different groups, one of experienced people or people who have played in the past. Then we'll start off a group that has never played before. I'm certainly looking for, not just young people, but also older people," says Babbitt.
The agreement sees the group using the instruments for the next three years. Babbitt adds they're also working to get government funding so they can purchase their own equipment.
"The instruments are sitting there, they were doing nothing. There were a few schools that were certainly interested in getting their hands on them, but it's an unprecedented agreement," says Babbitt.
An information meeting will be held at the Wallaceburg District Secondary School this Thursday at 7pm.
