There’s more than meets the eye to Cluster Tutoring’s new program assistant, Max Tabb. Sure, he’ll get everything set up for tutoring on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, but deep down, there’s a lot of creativity.

“My first love is art,” Max said. But music is just as much a part of his life.

Max is a 2015 graduate of Lincoln Park High School, where he took advanced art classes in sculpture as well as music. He attended Jackson State University in Mississippi and studied music performance and music technology. Eventually, he wants to go into music production and audio engineering. He says his art classes influenced him to get creative in music.

Max is currently taking online classes through the Berklee School of Music, and he always has sung in different capacities. Both his parents are ministers, and he has sung at both of their churches.

“I do a lot of different kinds of singing,” Max said, including gospel, spiritual, and classical. Sometimes he sings with his brothers or other groups, and he’s working to get his music out on different platforms.

Max says he sees himself as an artist. “I see myself as someone who breaks the mold for other new artists, like these kids. I want to help the people who need help.”

Max heard about the program assistant position through a neighbor. He was looking for a job to earn money before he goes back to school, and “the opportunity just presented itself,” he said. “It’s great to be working in my neighborhood and helping my community. I like being able to help the kids.”

As program assistant, Max will make sure computers are turned on, name tags are ready to be picked up, and sheets are available for students and tutors to sign in. He’ll use his technical skills to set up computers and social media skills to post tutoring photos on Instagram.

Just don’t be surprised if you hear him humming a tune.