DOWAGIAC — Jazz music and the halls of theater will combine this evening.

The Beckwith Theatre, 100 New York Ave., Dowagiac, will offer jazz, rock and other popular music styles performed by the Southwestern Michigan College’s Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Combo and Select Voices from David Carew’s choir program tonight at 7:30 p.m.

All donations from the evening will benefit the Beckwith Theatre Company.

The fundraiser first began in 2017 between the then college band instructor Jonathan Korzun and Beckwith’s then treasurer Richard Frantz. The fundraiser’s goal was to raise money for the installation of a new roof on the theater.

The event continues today as a free event with no reservations required for interested patrons.

Director of Bands for SMC, Mark Hollandsworth said events like this serve several purposes for the college’s band program.

“With us being a community college and kind of serving Cass County and the greater region, it is part of our mission to get out into the community and to perform and to be a visible part of what is going on in the art scene,” Hollandsworth said.

From a performer’s standpoint, he said it is beneficial to get real-world experience of being out on the road, performing, setting up and tearing down.

“Having that live performance feeling that you can’t replicate in rehearsal,” he said.

On Thursday night, the spring band concert took place at 7:30 p.m. in the theater in the Dale A. Lyons Building.

“Getting essentially back to back performance of the same program is good,” Hollandsworth said.

Playing multiple nights in a row helps the student musicians prepare for later on in the year, when the performing arts department goes on tour in May with the band and the choir and plays 10 different venues over the course of five days.

The Jazz Ensemble is traditionally a big band instrumentation. SMC’s has five saxophones, four trumpets, four trombones and a full rhythm section made up of 19 total members.

Hollandsworth highlights to prospective students and current SMC students in the band program that crossover between different bands can take place.

“Almost everybody that is in the Jazz Ensemble is in the symphonic band, and many of those members are part of various choirs,” he said. “There is a lot of sharing of talents. A lot of these students arrive on campus with equal interest in both.”

There will be multiple students wearing different hats during tonight’s performance. Some will perform with the Jazz Ensemble and then with the choir directly after.

“Everything the kids learn transfers to all activities,” Hollandsworth said. “Music is music. It is just a different vehicle or instrument to express it. For the kids, it does take a great deal of commitment because there are rehearsals several days a week.”

Hollandsworth said some students are also involved in the current spring musical going on.

“That’s what the [students] are here to do, and that’s what they want to be doing,” Hollandsworth said in terms of students participating in multiple elements of music. “They have lots of chances to do it.”

Students rehearse once a week with the symphonic band and twice a week with the jazz band. So far, the students have had six rehearsals for the symphonic band and 12 for the jazz band leading up to this week’s performances.

“I think what kids find when they get to college is their rehearsal schedule gets very much condensed from what they are used to in high school,” he said. “The urgency is ramped up a lot, but that is good. I think we are doing a really good job. We’ve had a lot of growth this semester.”