HAGERSTOWN, MD - There's a new student choir in town, and it's not from any local schools. It's actually a combination of homeschool kids from the area.

On Thursday afternoon you can hear choir music coming from the halls of the Virginia Avenue Baptist Church.

But this choir isn't a church tradition, it's something new. It's made up of homeschooled students from around the region.

"They benefit not just from the musical aspect of it, but they also benefit from the social aspect of coming together as a group," says Ruth Seiler, who directs the choir.

Seiler is a certified music instructor and voice teacher, and a mother to four children, all of them homeschooled.

She adds, "Through music it's easy to integrate other subjects. Because music encompasses, especially choral music, encompasses literature, and we're able to talk about science and history through the instruction we have."

Eric Anderson, a student choir member, says of his classmates, "I think they're pretty nice, and I'm glad they're here because they help make the voice better and the sound. I'm just glad they're here."

Another choir member, Skyla Heise, adds, "It's really nice because I guess you can do more with a lot of other kids you don't really know. You can make friends with them and see if you have anything else in common."

The choir branched out from the western Maryland Homeschool Association that was created six years ago, made up of students from all over the four-state area.

There are around 20 members in the choir right now, all of them learning how to make joyful music together.

The kids practice every Thursday at 2:00 p.m. in the Virginia Avenue Baptist Church.

For more information on the homeschooling program, click here.