Jeff Robinson has been rebuilding Dowagiac’s vocal music program for nine years, earning comparisons to the Fox show “Glee.”

Thursday, May 19, the choir will present a tribute to Michael Jackson, which it teased Thursday at Dogwood Fine Arts Festival’s Youth Fine Arts Night at Union High School.

Thursday noon Robinson’s polished Chamber Choir appeared at Dowagiac Rotary Club as guests of Southwestern Michigan College President Emeritus David Briegel.

“Jeff has such passion for his job,” Briegel said, “and that’s why he’s been so successful and has one of the finest choral groups in southwestern Michigan. Jeff loves his students and his students love Jeff.”

Chamber Choir exists the second half of each semester each school year.

The first half, singers work on music performed at Western Michigan University’s Southwestern Michigan Vocal Festival, which has been going on for more than 75 years.

Chamber Choir, singing an Italian tune which translates as “In My Fantasy,” “is more of a community-based activity, Robinson said. “This group you see in front of you actually performs 12 times yet before the end of school,” including at Riverside Cemetery on Memorial Day.

“They’re out, about and in the community all the time,” he said. “We believe very strongly in ‘paying it forward.’ We are here for the community in any way that they would love to have some music. This year we’re going to perform at the Pokagon Pow Wow again.”

To “make sure we make ourselves available to help out with all the behind-the-scenes things going on. I don’t think I’m surprising you by telling you that Bobbie Jo Hartline and Brad Yazel and all of the people involved with Dogwood are absolutely beside themselves with duties and details. We came up with this idea that we would create a group at the high school called The Dowagiac Chieftain Coolaborators. I actually had a typo, I’ll have to admit. One of the goals I had for this group is to start getting students involved with Dogwood so eventually their families will continue that tradition.”

Seniors introduced themselves with their career plans.

Kaye Swartz plans to earn phlebotomy certification while working toward a master’s degree in speech pathology.

Stevie Baylock wants to move to Mount Pleasant “and play music and travel around America.”

Jacob Przybylinski expects to attend Southwestern Michigan College to further his education in video games and graphic art design.

Tony Swisher plans to attend SMC for two years and an associate degree in music, then transfer to Western Michigan University.

Cody Carpenter wants to teach music.

John Brosnan also intends to attend SMC and WMU, but for computer science or computer engineering.

Band drum major and John Philip Sousa Award winner Courtney Klann will attend SMC for music and psychology.

Samantha Mathews will attend the University of Michigan to minor in Spanish and major in business.

“We all know that the arts are under attack,” Robinson told Rotarians, “and we’ve got to make sure that we stand diligent. That is what makes us the humanitarians that we will all grow up to be eventually. We had a great time singing for you.”