Hearing Education and Awareness for Rockers Inc

John a young drummer and first time band member had no idea that he might be a customer for hearing aids in a few years if he had not been given a free hearing screening by H.E.A.R.. Educators are not required to provide these services to students in music and sound arts classes in public schools, after school programs, colleges and conservatories. John's hearing test helped to give him that kick needed to start preventitive measures to stop further hearing damage and seek furhter help.

H.E.A.R. non-profit is dedicated to the prevention of hearing-loss and tinnitus. We cater to the population most vulnerable to potential noise induced hearing damage ––young music lovers, musicians, DJs, sound-engineers and their audiences and others in music-entertainment industry––but extend our education, awareness advocacy to people from all walks of life.

Program Description:
Listen Smart: Safely Handling the Power of Sound film and workshops.

Over exposure to high-volume sounds is reaching near epidemic levels with young people, usually due to their consumption of music entertainment from loud music amplification or wearing earbud headphones. Unfortunately, the damage is only realized later once it’s too late.

Helping teens and young adults grasp the seriousness of overexposure is only matched by the necessity to do it with a message that is fun and credible. Fortunately our Listen Smart Program film and workshop is here!

Program Needs:
(2015) WHO- World Health Organization sites 1.1 billion youth are at risk of hearing loss, a serious threat posed by exposure to recreational noise due to the unsafe use of personal audio devices and exposure to damaging levels of sound at noisy entertainment venues.

(1989) Nonprofit H.E.A.R, with support of Pete Townshend of the Who launched the first grassroots initiatives worldwide in the media to educate the public, especially young people -- but, more needed to be done.

The effects of hearing damage can be immediate with loud ringing after exposure from loud volume or comes on silently and does not catch up with us until later in life, at which point the damage is irreversible and emotionally draining.

No important health issue is so overlooked as that of hearing-loss. Literally thousands of musicians, DJs, other music professionals, audience members young and old suffer from noise induced hearing damage. Protecting your hearing is vital to everyone and more importantly to learn these lessons when you are young.

Program Short-Term Success:
H.E.A.R. Listen Smart program reaches out to music educators, school classrooms, music and sound arts faculty, community groups and music camps to conduct Listen Smart programs. With your support, we hope to advance our programs from a one-time guest speaker to regular orientation classes conducted throughout the year in many more schools. The Les Paul Foundation and The Bill Graham Foundation have been early angel suppoters of our pilot programs but the evidence is coming in clear that we need your help and help of your friends to support and expand our mission in order to serve many more students.

Listen Smart program: includes Cine Golden Eagle award winning "Listen Smart" film a HAMF Production produced by Dan Beck and directed by Pamela French, it features appearances by Metallica, Moby,Russell Simmons and Ozzie Ozbourne and hearing doctors talking frankly about the kinds of long-term hearing damage that can occur–and they have experienced–when music and other sounds are played too loudly. The workshop/lectures include educational handouts, free earplugs, surveys, free hearing screenings at participating locations, one on one hearing help and low cost custom hearing protection made available.

Serving over 7,000 + students in the San Francisco Bay Area Oakland, Los Angelos, Marin, New York and more. Recently we partnered with Little Kids Rock program serving 400,000 students with a chapter in their educators manual and provided earplugs to to their educators. 

We need your help to continure this important work and to help our kids and our schools to join the Listen Smart movement and Save Your Ears for Music! We thank you for your donation! We couldn't do it without your help!

Kathy Peck, ED and Cofounder of H.E.A.R. and hearing impaired bass player