The Michigan State University Professors of Jazz are truly that — professors of music, in every sense of the word.

On Friday evening, The Professors of Jazz performed on the main stage at Southwestern Michigan College for the 25th Annual Dogwood Fine Arts Festival, performing music from the jazz canon, including standards, jazz classics, and original compositions.

Patrons were so excited by the lively concert that a full lobby of music lovers met the musicians for a meet and greet afterwards.

Part of the group’s charge is to share their talents and musical expertise with students. As such, the main floor of the Performing Arts Center of the Dowagiac Middle School was filled with Dowagiac junior and senior high students and even a few area musicians for a master class and performance from the professors, held before the concert Friday afternoon.

The faculty comes to MSU from across the country and even as far as Trinidad to teach jazz, music history and composition. The opportunity to share their love for jazz in small communities and schools recharges their batteries and the group says they feed off of the fun the crowd has at a performance.