The newly-formed school choir started the first of their rehearsals last Thursday preparing for this year’s winter concert on December 5.

The choir, supervised by new music teacher Max Perkoff, meets every Thursday during SMART period in Rm. 556. Perkoff also teaches the beginning guitar and bass class.

The choir is open to singers of all experience levels, and will be working with a vast diversity of music.

“We’ll probably do a wide variety, maybe rhythm, blues, soul, jazz, contemporary, classical,  or folk music,” Perkoff said.

Perkoff started the choir to help build up an interest for a potential choir elective next year, and hopes to have at least 25 people join.

Perkoff said that he hopes to have the choir perform the national anthem at a San Francisco Giants game, but that the overall goal of the program is for the students to have fun.

“This year in choir, I want to become more confident in my voice. I love to sing, but I get shy in front of other people,” said sophomore Alessandra Pagani.

Perkoff wants to take the choir in whatever direction the students would like to take it in, such as competitions or performances at local music festivals.

Perkoff is also open to working with music composed and written by students.

“There’s no better way to learn songs than to have a student write and compose,” said Perkoff.

He hopes to have choir students be able to read, write and compose music by the end of the year.

Perkoff has taught for 15 years at schools around Marin, teaching both choir and general music education to students ranging from elementary to high school age.

He has performed in jazz clubs all over the country, including the Lincoln Center in New York City. He has even performed on popular television show, “America’s Got Talent,”  as a trombonist for a semifinalist in the show. He also performed in a choir throughout high school and college.

The choir performs with the intermediate performance workshops and beginning guitar class in Rm. 306 at 7 p.m.