Student musicians performed a variety of traditional jazz pieces on Friday night at the Kauffman Theater, then mixed it up with funk and swing.

The AACC Jazz Ensemble and students from the Community Jazz course played together on Nov. 22 at the Jazz Big Band Fall Concert with Professor Mercedes Beckman as the conductor.

“It’s our end of semester concert so it’s always a fun time to hear how the students have progressed,” Beckman said. “A lot of them take a credit class so they are part of the AACC community.”

Students said that the concert was lively and overall enjoyable.

“[The event] was very nice. I could tell they were very much into the classics,” first-year theater and communications student Connor Skalitzky said. “As a musician myself, I know that improvisation is a big part of jazz. When you have each of them take their turn it really spreads what improvisation would mean to each member.”

“I liked the music that they chose and how they incorporated everyone individually,” second-year psychology student Quincy Cunningham said. “The stigma behind an AACC concert is that not a lot of people go. They have attendants, but not a lot, and I think more people should go.”

Beckman met with other members of the Ensemble after the show to coordinate and discuss scheduling for new concerts in the near future.

“I think it’s a good idea to enrich your life with the arts whether you go into drama, music, or anything professionally,” Beckman said. “But just having it be a part of your day to day life I feel is very enriching on whatever level you choose to do it.”