By BRANDON WORF

Hays Daily News

It's over before you know it.

Many of the campers at the week-long High Plains Band Camp are coming to realize that, as today marks the second-to-last day of the camp. Saturday will be the presentation of all their work during the week, and for most campers, and even the staff, they were barely getting used to it.

"It always goes so fast," said FHSU graduate Trevor Duell. "It's like getting shot out of a cannon -- a musical 'canon.' "

Puns aside, Duell, who was working as a high school counselor and the Honor Band librarian for the camp, said it was interesting to watch as the campers gelled.

"I told them at the start of the week that it's fun to come together with kids from all over the state and make music," he said. "It's fun to come together, play this hard music, and become a band."

Ashleigh Bermudez, an incoming senior from Goddard High School, agreed.

"Oh my gosh, it flew by," she said. "I got here on Monday, played a recital, and it seems like a minute later, it's Friday already."

The fourth-year camper said that what the camp offers is the big draw, and partly why things are seemingly a blur.

"It's a more intimate band experience," she said. "The faculty band was amazing, and they show you everything they know."

Bermudez had a favorite among the faculty and guest artists, and didn't hesitate to say who.

"Gerald Spaits is so awesome," she said. The bass player from Kansas City, Mo., was in camp to conduct a mini-class on jazz bass and improvisation techniques, and Bermudez was in the jazz bass class.

"Some of the things he showed us in his class were ridiculous," she said. "And that's another thing about here, the jazz is a really good experience."

Amy Kraus, an incoming junior at Salina South High School, also said the clinicians were a big draw.

"The guest artists are the big reason I came back," Kraus said. "Having these big-name musicians come in and teach us all this stuff is too hard to pass up."

One of those guest artists was Michael Rabinowitz, a bassoon player from New York City who brought an interesting twist on jazz with him -- jazz bassoon.

"Nowadays, people will improvise on anything they can find," Rabinowitz said. "And the thing about it, is people were enthusiastic about it."

Rabinowitz kept a particularly busy schedule throughout the week, having flown in from New York to teach on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, and made a quick trip out West in the middle.

"I flew to Utah on Wednesday for a double-reed convention at (Brigham Young University), and got back last night," he said. "That's been the hardest part. This schedule this week was crazy."

He said despite the amount of material to go over, the campers weren't fazed by it.

"The kids were great, really enthusiastic," he said. "And the faculty even learned a lot about double reeds in jazz, so it was a double dose for me."