Enchanted Hills Camp (for the blind and visually impaired)
Starting in 2014 Masceo has had the privilege of being involved with EHC in several capacities, the most recent being the Enrichment leader for summer 2017.. Being legaly blind himself, this is the perfect place to inspire and be inspired, the perfect job. Masceo plans on returning 2018 and looks forward to another sucsessful summer. (more info coming soon)
Below is a collection of music, videos & art all inspired by EHC.
EHC 2017 The Music & Memories
-My Summer Song: Masceo & TrueSounds
-Veeder Holiday: Masceo & TrueSounds (feat. Lawrence Brown III)
-Conned Into Camp: Masceo
-Windsor (my home town) Maycie Vorreiter, Maurice Weeks
-Penny For Luck: Masceo & Maggie Ali Ralph
-The Way Up: Ben Thomas
-Song For Oliver Z: Masceo
-Veeder Holiday: Masceo, Youth, Teens, Family Camp 3. (produced by Ben Blatchford)
Music Academy Performers:
Miso Kwak- Flute
Ben Blatchford- Keys
Maurice Weeks- Piano
Bill McCann- Trumpet
Roberto Gonzales-Electric Guitar
Lawrence Brown III-Drums
Masceo-Bass
Song For Oliver Z . (a story)
As the Enrichment area leader at Enchanted Hills Camp, I get the rare privilege of having a multitude of instruments at my disposal to play or tinker with at any moment. For a multi-instrumentalist this is a unique opportunity to get some time in with everything from a full drum kit and tons of percussion, to ukuleles, midi keyboards, guitars, bass and a donated glossy black grand piano of which I took a liking too this summer. With very few down moments as a full timer at EHC you tend to pick your solo activities wisely. But with even just a moment to spare I would find myself quickly sitting and formulating a piano thought and just playing, a mental piano jam if you will. As the summer progressed this jam formulated into an actual song writing process and was becoming a soundtrack for my summer. My friend, team mate, and fellow musician Lawrence Brown III dubbed the piece “I Just Need 20 Minutes” which is super funny from the EHC full time perspective.
By the time our youth campers arrived for their session, “IJN20M” had progressed into what I kept referring to as “New Age Status” as Tangerine Dream is frequented often at camp in my headphones. Which brings me to Oliver Z I met Oliver Zuniga in 2014 when I was the nature area leader my first year at EHC. He came with his mom and sister to a family camp then returned to the youth session that year. The memories of Oliver started immediately as his t-shirt humor was stellar. My return to EHC in 2016 and 2017 helped to gather a multitude of outstanding memories of a funny, sensitive, happy kid who insisted on maneuvering around camp with no help, just company. This last summer brought memories of afternoons in OJ Radio and Skillet. Or that one time we lost our balance outside the Kiva and we toppled over awkwardly in slow-mo fashion as I attempted to protect my buddy from harm, everyone around us fell silent, only to be broken by Oliver’s laughter, followed by a walk to the Hogan to make sure he did not need to go see nurse Bill. (Which he did not want to do). Even when weepy from homesickness he could find his smile and joy in knowing he was at camp. On the last day of youth camp Oliver took an afternoon nap in the bean bag chair I provided. Before waking him and heading up the dreaded cardiac hill, I took a minute to play my piano piece. As we walked to dinner together, Oliver asked me who was playing the piano. “I was,” I replied, Oliver then responded honestly with, “The song was sad.” “Oh I’m sorry you didn’t like it,” I added, and in classic Oliver style he said, “I liked it, it was just sad.” We giggled and then discussed what kind of pizza we were going to eat.
On September 11 with an empty camp I decided to start my day by trying to record “IJN20M” on the very same glossy black piano in the Kiva. For about 2 hours I played the piece repeatedly, recording about 10 versions, none of which I was happy with. As I was sipping coffee and about ready to give up, I got an email informing me Oliver had passed away the week prior. I weeped, had a brief conversation with my wife via walkie-talkie, then somehow refocused. The first take, I stopped as I was sniffling, then the very next performance, through the power of my friend, we captured for the first time, “Song for Oliver Z,” it was sad, but we liked it... Masceo
Summer of 2017 Masceo's pics |
2017 TEEN SESSION TALENT SHOW PERFORMERS
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THANK YOU!! To ALL the 2017 summer staff, and campers who made it yet another stellar summer. Special thank yous to Just Josh Lintz, Lawrence Brown III and TrueSounds, Tony Fletcher & Kate Williams.
Lots Of Love!!!
In October 2017 the Northern California wildfires burned through Enchanted Hills Camp doing millions of dollars of damage. If you would like to donate to the rebuild EHC fund, click "rebuilding" below...
Thank You, and see you 2018 at EHC, the place to be... Masceo
rebuilding
A feature film staring EHC legend Linda Fonseca from 2016. (with audio description)
1. Creep (Radiohead) (piano-Marco Salsiccia, flute-Katherine Richter)
2. Sturge (written & performed by Steve Sturges)
3. That’s Alright (Arthur Crudup) (accordion & vocals by Mars Dickens)
4. Camp Fire (written & performed by Marsha Macchi)
5. Runaway (Del Shannon) (flute - Katherine Richter, Guitar - Masceo)
6. Our Time Together (written & vocals - Venus Dickens, accordion - Mars Dickens)
7. Interstellar Overture (Hans Zimmer) (piano - Marco Salsiccia)
All song recorded in the Kiva on Saturday February 18th at Enchanted Hills Camp by Masceo. 4/3/17
This collection of music features EHC campers and staff, along with some Music Academy live performances, and of course some Masceo originals and surprises all collected and inspired over the summer of 2016 and all for FREE streaming 11/28/16
PART 1. Post-Camp Inspirations & Productions
PART 2. Live OJ Radio Performances
PART 3. Fun Recordings
PART 4. Music Academy Lighthouse Performance (8/9/16)
The Music Of EHC 2016 - Another FT summer for Masceo at Enchanted Hills Camp as the Enrichment area leader.
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Chloe the bass playing pug.
EHC already cause for fun and inspiration... 5/6/16
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2016 EHC VIDEOS
Adults session 2016 videography project, "Happy Campers"
EHC 2016 teen session music talent show magic...7/31/16
Youth 1 2016 enrichment videography project... "We All Fall Down."
First video of the summer from the first session, Family Camp 1. So fun... (6/13/16)
Enchanted Hills Camp 2014
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From mid June to early August 2014 I had the privilege of being employed as the "Nature Area Leader" at the spectacular, Enchanted Hills Camp for the blind. Being visually impaired myself, this experience was enlightening, inspiring, and one of the best summers in my living memory. Assisting with everything from nature hikes, archery, solar cooking, sing-alongs, and a myriad of other activities only added to the magnificence of what EHC is, and what it is about. Along with inspiring and empowering the campers, I was equally inspired by them,and able to play, perform, and write music that only added to the joy of Enchanted Hills. Here are a few songs dedicated to the summer of 2014 along with a personalized slide show/video along with links to summer highlights. Words cannot express how remarkable Enchanted Hills Camp was for me. Thanks to my coworkers and all the campers of 2014 for making my first summer absolutely amazing. EHC is the place to be...
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