H.E.A.R. is a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing hearing loss, mainly from loud rock music. The acronym stands for Hearing Education and Awareness for Rockers. It was founded in 1988 by rock musician
Kathy Peck and physician
Flash Gordon, M.D. after Kathy developed
tinnitus
Tinnitus is the perception of sound when no corresponding external sound is present. Nearly everyone experiences a faint "normal tinnitus" in a completely quiet room; but it is of concern only if it is bothersome, interferes with normal hearin ...
and
hearing loss
Hearing loss is a partial or total inability to hear. Hearing loss may be present at birth or acquired at any time afterwards. Hearing loss may occur in one or both ears. In children, hearing problems can affect the ability to acquire spoken ...
after playing with the band
The Contractions.
The initial funding for the organization's formation was provided by guitarist and songwriter for
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...
,
Pete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s.
Townsh ...
, who also developed tinnitus as a result of loud volumes at Who concerts, and a particular incident during a live performance of
My Generation
"My Generation" is a song by the English rock band the Who, which became a hit and one of their most recognizable songs. The song was named the 11th greatest song by ''Rolling Stone'' on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It becam ...
, when drummer
Keith Moon set off some explosives inside his drum kit right next to Townshend.
Musician-producer
Todd Rundgren
Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, multimedia artist, sound engineer and record producer who has performed a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the band Ut ...
appeared in a
public service announcement
A public service announcement (PSA) is a message in the public interest disseminated by the media without charge to raise public awareness and change behavior. In the UK, they are generally called a public information film (PIF); in Hong Kong, ...
for the organization.
Kathy Peck is a musician and was the bass player and singer for the San Francisco punk rock band The Contractions. Peck herself has hearing damage caused by years of playing loud music. She is an advocate and educator for the prevention of hearing loss, and in 1988 together with
Dr. Flash Gordon founded the Hearing Educators and Awareness for Rockers (H.E.A.R.) organization, a non-profit that over the years has provided concertgoers with free earplugs and has organized prevention campaigns to educate the public.
Peck's work is focused on educating and improving the quality of life for people with hearing loss or tinnitus. This disability can have a painful and debilitating output on the daily life of people with hearing loss. On the H.E.A.R. organization's web site you can find information about different types and features of earplugs, how to protect your hearing, levels or categories of deafness, and much more information pertaining to this topic.
In March 2013, the Mayor of New York City
Michael Bloomberg launched a campaign for hearing protection and preservation aimed at teenagers and young adults listening to loud music on MP3 players and earbuds, Peck showed support for the campaign and made reference to the fact that hearing damage or deafness is something that can happen at a young age, a loud blast or overexposure of loud sounds and/or music are contributing factors and prevention through hearing protection is the best way to avoid permanent ear damage.
[Loss, NYC Mayor Tackles Hearing. "Prevention." The American fire waste averages $250,000,000 per year. This is $30,000 per hour or $500 per minute. This figure does not include the huge cost of fire departments. That is an additional burden. The immensity of the burden due to losses by fire THE BUSINESS ENCYCLOPEDIA FIR (2005).]
References
External links
Official SiteMusic Life Radio Interview with Kathy Peck – June 2012News Health News'' "Turn it Up? Musicians Run Far Higher Risk of Hearing Loss" by Jonel Aleccia, April 30, 2014''Newsweek'',"A Little Bit Louder, Please," by David Noonan, 10/11/2007'Audiology Online'', "Interview with Kathy Peck," 4 October 2000]
'East Bay Express'', "The Metronome Diary: H.E.A.R.ing things," by Chris Baty, 25 May 2001
'Prevention'', "Health Hero: Kathy Peck," by Katie Becker, 2007
Kathy PeckNAMM Oral History Program Interview (2008)
*
National Association of Schools of Music
The National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) is an association of post-secondary music schools in the United States and the principal U.S. accreditor for higher education in music. It was founded on October 20, 1924, and is based in Reston ...
(NASM) and the Performing Arts Medicine Association (PAMA) Advisories on Hearing Healt
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Audiology organizations
Hearing loss