Stephen Emmer is a composer, producer and musician. He was one of the first Dutch musicians professionally engaged in creating leader music for numerous TV and radio programs, films and documentaries. He won the BUMA Oeuvre Prize, released the self-quarantine album Maison Melody and is committed to artists against tinnitus, among other causes. He has severe hearing damage and has struggled with tinnitus for 10 years.
“I consider this conversation my coming-out. I no longer want to feel ashamed, which I did for a long time,” Emmer said in the AD. According to him, there is a taboo on hearing damage and it needs to be broken. “Musicians hardly dare to come out for it. I know through experience that about a third of the musicians in the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra have tinnitus. All those people dare not tell their conductor because they are afraid of losing their jobs. That has to change.”
“If you – like me – are looking for help, you will find it through Hoormij∙NVVS better the way to the right information.”
Anyone with hearing complaints – such as tinnitus, ménière’s disease and hyperacusis – knows at some point: I have to learn to live with it. That’s easier said than done. Moreover, the outside world – because of the invisibility of your condition – can’t quite track what kind of process or state of mind you’re in. On the Internet, you look for information about what is still possible for your problem. In that search process, you may find similar problem cases, but more often than not, in that digital jungle, you still cannot completely identify with the other person’s situation. You’re just muddling through. This, of course, is not good for you or for your condition. It is important to be able to share information with others – on a basis of trust – even if everyone has a different story. But then again, you have to be careful. After all – and especially on the Internet – there are many false service providers who promise you “the solution” to all your problems and for as much money as possible.
Therefore, it is nice to know that there are still organizations and people who genuinely have your best interests at heart. Without any overriding commercial interest. You just have to encounter them, and the question is whether you can if you are already not in the best shape. Critical ability loses out more than once to the expectant – and often strained – form of hope.
Fortunately, we have a few organizations in the Netherlands, which do have a clean record. And in doing so has now managed to reach a large group of people with such complaints. Then word of mouth does the rest.
In this particular case, I’m talking about Hoormij∙NVVS where a small – but very dedicated – core of people in collaboration with volunteers are fanatically and frequently making themselves heard. Not only as an enquirer and provider of workshops, webinars, lectures and meetings. I benefited a lot from that. And hear the same from a growing number of peers – I like a nicer word than peers – who are also positive about it. I want to say this: If – like me – you are looking for help, support or knowledge – find it through Hoormij∙NVVS find your way to the right information faster and better. And you no longer have to feel lonely.
Stephen Emmer – stephenemmer.com
