By Percy Kinney
 If your child is an aspiring musician, band camp may be the perfect choice for his next summer camp. These camps will encourage or spark interest in musical talent. In some cases, band camps are required for students to participate in school band programs. Whatever the case, your child will develop their musical and marching abilities.
Band camps are generally available as both day camps and residential camps. Many schools that require their band students to attend band camp will offer a day camp in order to cut expenses. If your child wants to learn from teachers other than the ones he spends his school year with, however, he may want to go to a residential camp.
In cases where your child decides to go away to a band camp, he is likely to learn from professional musicians. Often these camps will specialize in only one instrument, or only one group of instruments such as strings or woodwinds. These camps can include options such as private lessons, ensemble and group work. Most band camps also require students to learn the basics
of marching and drill work. These fundamentals are necessary for those wishing to participate in a drum and bugle corps, or even a high school marching band.
Many high schools that have a marching band program require students to attend a band camp in order to be allowed to play in the band. In some of these camps students will actually go to a college campus or other facility where they will stay in the college dorms as well as use the college's music facilities to practice. Often music majors studying at the college will provide special instruction and also help teach the music and drill. Other high school band camps simply meet as a day camp at the student's own high school. During these camps, professionals will often be hired and brought in to help teach students needed aspects of the music and drill.
The basic goal of high school band camps is to teach students the music and footwork for their halftime field show which will be performed during school football games. During a one or two week course of camp, students will learn to play and commit their music to memory. In addition to playing music, students must learn to stay in step with each other and make the drill, which is actually broken down into numerous segments to make it easier to learn, seem seamless. In order to make a field show successful, students must learn to listen to and watch each other. Without these skills, a field show can look and sound sloppy and unprofessional.
In addition to improving their musical ability, students also learn life lessons such as cooperation and discipline while in band camp. Whether your child is required to attend band camp or if he simply wants to improve his musical talent, these camps are an excellent way to spend the summer.
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Astronomy for the Novice
By Percy Kinney
 When you are thinking about astronomy, the first thing that comes to mind is a telescope. This misconception is found every day. Actually, the first thing you need to do is look at the stars with a pair of binoculars. You cam spend hundreds of dollars on a telescope that might not be the right one. One thing that star glazers will tell you is that some of the lunar eclipses and bright comets look better with binoculars than with a high-powered telescope.
You need to look around the sky with a star map and learn about the stars and other objects in space before you jump in and buy a telescope. Sometimes what you see through a telescope will be ugly, where as through the binoculars, it is a beautiful focused site to see. Once you learn about the stars themselves, you will have a better understanding of what you are looking at and how far away it really is.
After you learn about the sky above you are ready to look for a telescope. Before rushing out and buying a telescope, you should find some astronomers who will share their experiences and maybe even their telescopes with a group. Trying out a telescope before you buy it is something that will help you decide on what telescope will be best for you.
Some things to consider are what you plan to do with the telescope, how much you have to spend and are you going to take photographs of your sightings. If you are a causal backyard astronomer, you might even look at the Dobsonian telescopes. Never worry about power, but be more concerned about aperture and optics. If you will be viewing planets, you will need a telescope with high magnification. You would not want to buy a telescope with 600 power, as it will not have the aperture needed.
Most professional astronomers use a reflector type of telescope. This is where the light path is diverted to the concave lens or eyepiece. With the refractor telescopes, the light passes through the telescope by way of a lens to the eyepiece. In some of the opinions from astronomers, the refractor is the best type of telescope for looking at the solar system. However, reflectors are cheaper than the refractors. Reflector telescopes are recommended for beginning astronomers.
You will find areas with complete darkness are the best, but city viewing is fine if you have very little light to distract your viewing. Keep in mind that planet viewing is spectacular. You can see the ring around Saturn as well as view Venus. Jupiter, which changes every time you view it, is an amazing planet to keep an eye on.
You will want to have a star map, planet map and keep an eye on the news to find out when any interesting things are appearing in the solar system. Experience the sighting of a comet or meter shower, you will find that astronomy is a great way to spend the evening by yourself or with friends.
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The Growing Popularity of Cornhole
By Percy Kinney
 If you've walked through any town in the midwest recently, you've probably noticed a lot of college aged kids playing a game that resembles the bean bag game you might have remembered as a kid. That game is known as Cornhole and has been sweeping the country for the last few years. The Ohioans lay claim to the popular game, but variations of it have been played as far back as the 18th century. Wherever and whoever invented it, it's a lot of fun which is why it's picked up so much steam in the past few years. It's so popular these days that this summer there was a large tournament held at Soldiers Field in Chicago, a front page article in the Wall Street Journal, and a arcade game put out by the people that invented the popular Golden Tee video game.
So what's the reason for the growth? It's not like the game hasn't been around for awhile or that it's anything very unique. There are probably a lot of reasons that it is popular. For one, it doesn't take much as far as equipment goes. Pretty much all you need is just a set of cornhole boards and bags and you're ready to play. Throw em in the back of your car and you're ready to go. Another reason is that it doesn't exclude anyone, a old person can play with a young person and everyone will be happy. And, most importantly, it's a game that everyone can watch and enjoy each others company. In a game of volleyball, there isn't much interaction between the people playing the game and people that are not. With Cornhole, you can talk with people who are playing or you can hold a conversation with people that are just standing next to the boards. So it makes for a great party sport and great if you are planning an outdoor bbq or something.
So what do you need to play this game? Well, not much! The first thing you need is a set of cornhole boards. The regulation boards measure 4 feet by 2 feet or you can go with a tailgating style board which are 3 feet by 2 feet. Once you have your boards, you can get the bags. The cornhole bags are 6x6" bags that weigh 14-16 ounces and are made out of duck canvas. Durability is key with bags so if you are going to make your own, you need to make sure that you are using the best quality material and thread. Otherwise, you'll be sorry because the bags won't take much wear and tear. You can also add in some other accessories like a scoretower or a light in case you wanted to play at night, but the cornhole bags and boards are the essential ones.
So there you have it! While it may be difficult to see why this game is so popular now, trust me, if you give it a shot you will understand in a heartbeat why this game is loved by so many. So next time you're having people over, throw out the boards and see what kind of activity it generates. It can potentially make your party one to remember!
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