Following in the footsteps of jazz legends such as Dizzie Gillespe and Ella Fitzgerald, who performed in Onset in the 1940s, a full slate of performers will bring smooth sounds back to Onset Saturday afternoon for the fourth Onset Beach Jazz Festival.

The festival, organized by resident Mikelyn Roderick, is all about providing entertainment to the area and supporting youth in the arts.

"I don't know if people don't really get how important music is," Roderick said.

This year the festival will be donating two acoustic guitars from Onset Village Music to the Wareham Middle School, through the festival's "MIMSS" program, Musical Instruments for Middle School Students.

In addition to donating instruments, the festival also provides a stage for talented kids. The event features a "Voices of the Future" performance put on by Wareham Middle School students who auditioned for Roderick, a singer/songwriter who majored in voice and theatre at Emerson College.

Roderick will be singing at this year's event, which she hasn't done in quite some time.

"I'm trying to get back into performing, so this is a little precursor to that," she said.

The festival will also feature performances from the International String Trio, a Boston-based trio of guitar, violin and bass players; local jazz favorites The Groovalottos, and headliner Elan Trotman.

Trotman is a world renowned jazz saxophonist that Roderick has tried to book for two years. This year, she reached out to him early enough to get him for the Jazz Festival. The day following the Jazz Festival, Trotman will be flying out to Colorado for his next gig, according to Roderick.

Originally from Barbados, Trotman previously taught at schools in Boston for 10 years before pursuing his jazz career. Roderick thinks Trotman's connection to education is why he made such an effort to play in Onset.

The fourth annual Onset Beach Jazz Festival will take place at the Onset bandshell from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, July 18. Admission is $25 in advance and can be purchased online at onsetbeachjazzfestival.org. Roderick said she will also be accepting donations of money and instruments at the festival.