The complicated nature of composing when I have hearing damage forms the back story for "Mt. Mundane," making it a deeply reflective journey that symbolizes the challenge of coming to terms with the permanent, ceaseless tinnitus that is my reality.

This has been a big challenge for me, due to my pain hyperacusis and tinnitus, but now I feel very happy to have been able to compose for and participate in performances once again.

To the younger military generation I would say wear your hearing protection. And please, if you do have tinnitus symptoms seek help from an audiologist trained in tinnitus treatments.

Independence Day is a celebration of our country’s birthday, and we’re so grateful for the service of our active members of the military and veterans—who are, as we know, disproportionately affected by hearing loss and tinnitus. But now evidence is emerging of additional, severe brain injuries affecting service members.

These experiences highlight the need for patients, especially women, to advocate for accurate diagnoses.

The inventor of today’s recording techniques—with multiple ways to manipulate sound—would have been 109 this June 9. That would be Les Paul, the man whose signature is blazoned on the famous Gibson guitar. 

How I came to understand that having a hearing loss made me a super reader of nonverbal cues.

The road to more effective, less invasive, and faster developing treatments for tinnitus and loudness hyperacusis lies in focusing on the brain and not the ear.

As a result, increased prefrontal activity may be helpful in improving gating function (automatic filtering), a topic for future research.

Potential solutions include reducing dynamic range, volume reduction when not actively participating in the game, and actively reducing sounds that are known to induce tinnitus, or hearing ringing or buzzing sounds.

I knew how uncomfortable deafness could make people. What I hadn’t expected were some of the reactions my hearing aids got. To me, the hearing aids were life-changing. To me, I was the lucky one.

The 218 planned gift commitments total an estimated $30 million to $50 million, 100 percent of which will be used to fund scientific research on hearing loss and related conditions.