Musicians, cheerleaders and architects — oh my!

More than 10,000 students, parents and visitors from around the world are slated to spend time on Ball State University's campus this summer for a variety of conferences, camps and events.

More than 60 conferences are scheduled, which are a boon for Ball State and the Muncie community during a traditionally slow season, said Rita Stewart, director of conferences and special events.

"On campus, the conferences generate revenue from otherwise unused facilities and create work for university housing and dining service personnel who otherwise would be idle," she said. "Away from Ball State, the participants give an economic boost to local merchants as they purchase food and services."

The School of Music's Aria conference, a premier summer workshop for budding young musicians from around the world, will take place from June 19 through July 17. A bassoon camp is scheduled from July 24-30.

A number of workshops have been scheduled throughout the summer by the Department of Journalism. And the annual College of Architecture and Planning Workshop, which yields a lobby full of student projects, is slated for July 10-22.

Across campus, the Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities will sponsor its Aspire Camps, with session one taking place June 26 through July 1, session two on July 5-9 and session three scheduled for July 10-15. The camps will cover such topics as science and space.

Additional academic workshops will be offered in math, art, music and for students with learning disabilities. Sports-related camps include swimming, basketball, tennis, gymnastics and volleyball.

One of the largest summer conferences, the Sigma Chi Fraternity gathering Aug. 3-7, is anticipated to bring 1,200 people to campus.

Raucous cheers will fill the campus during four camps sponsored by the Universal Cheerleaders Association and the National Cheerleaders Association. Those cheers may even be louder than the construction noise heard all over campus.

"Since the university has so many construction projects going on, we hope that everyone will have a little extra patience," Stewart said. "Maybe some of the projects will get done early — now that would be something to cheer about."