A group of guitarists, pianists, singers and saxophone players gathered for rehearsal Thursday afternoon.

They ran through "Hotel California," "Crocodile Rock" and a few other tunes.

It didn't seem to matter that some could see and some could not.

"It doesn't make a difference," said Tony Heath, who ran a camp this week for the musicians. "When you're in the middle of a song, it doesn't matter whether you're blind or sighted."

ForSight Vision, a nonprofit in Spring Garden Township, has offered a weeklong music camp for visually impaired people for the past three years.

This year's group was made up of eight musicians.

Four are either totally blind or have vision problems, and four are high school students who can see and volunteered their time to help.

Heath, manager of low-vision technology at ForSight, plays piano and guitar. A few years ago, he and others at the nonprofit decided it would be nice to start a blind band, he said.

He said what he loves is that the camp brings visually impaired people together with those who can see, he said.

"It's good for both the campers and the volunteers," he said.

Blind people are often sheltered and might not often come in contact with people who can see, he said.

Likewise, his volunteers usually haven't spent much time with blind

Tony Heath, director of ForSight Vision's weeklong music camp, plays piano and sings lead vocals on some songs.
 (Daily Record/Sunday News - Jason Plotkin)
people. He trains them on how to help their visually impaired partners and then pairs them up.

On Thursday, Heath sent the pairs into Central Market to get lunch, so the volunteers could learn how to help their partners get around. The volunteers are also playing instruments and singing in the band.

The musicians all have some musical experience.

Raymond Grote has been blind since birth and started playing the piano when he was 4 years old.

His parents cut the legs off an old keyboard, sat it on the floor in front of him, and he just started playing, said his mother, Michelle Shenberger.

Raymond's first love is classical music, although jazz is a close second, he said.

Now 15, he's come to camp every year it's been offered.

"I never ever get the chance to play with a band and jam out with people who know what they're doing," he said.

Darcy Pinkerton, 14, volunteered when she heard about the camp from the director of the York County Honors Choir. She's a singer, used to looking at notes on a page and turning them into music.

"The thing I thought was 'wow,'" she said. "It must be really difficult to learn and understand music if you can't see."

There was no sheet music at rehearsal Thursday. The musicians learn by ear, Darcy said. Heath sometimes helped by calling out chords while they played.

Working with the blind musicians was intimidating at first, Darcy said. She wasn't sure how to act, but she became more comfortable as the week went on.

Darcy, who will be a junior at Dallastown Area High School, said she was impressed with the group's musical talents and its members' ability to work together.

"I am amazed (at) every song we do," she said.
amason@ydr.com; 771-2048

ABOUT THE NONPROFIT

ForSight Vision is a nonprofit aimed at offering employment opportunities and services to people who are blind or visually impaired. The organization employs 20 visually impaired people and serves about 300. Among the services it offers:

--- a retail store that sells aids and products for visually impaired people

--- free preschool vision screenings

--- support groups, including a new group for blind veterans

--- transportation services

--- adult vision screenings

For more information, visit www.forsight.org.

IF YOU GO

The music camp hosted by ForSight Vision will hold a concert at 5:30 p.m. today at 1380 Spahn Ave. in Spring Garden Township.