Our December chapter meetings have been honoring members from the music community who have been living with hearing loss. This December, Jo Brook was our guest. A NYC-based actor and musician, Jo was diagnosed with profound hearing loss in 2017 when she was 27 years old.

Jo was raised on a farm in a small town in Montana. Both her parents were musicians, as was her grandmother. Her grandmother, who had hearing loss, realized Jo’s talent and sent her to a fiddle camp where Jo learned to be a violinist and was exposed to numerous forms of music—bluegrass, Texas swing, Irish, Cajun, and more.

In 2015, Jo and her older sister, Brittany, formed a bluegrass band—the Snowy Mountain Sisters. At her sister’s urging, Jo, who had been struggling to hear for many years, finally had her hearing tested and was diagnosed with profound hearing loss. During her HLAA talk she expressed how in awe she was that her new devices enabled her to hear rain, hair brushing against her ears, cymbals from a drum kit, and crickets.

Reflecting on past moments in her life, Jo said she avoided social gatherings and questioned her intellect due to lack of understanding what was being said. The pandemic, Jo said, exacerbated her feelings of loneliness, isolation, anger, and resentment. Fortunately, that time also gave her an opportunity to do some soul-searching and reflection, providing her with an understanding of those feelings. Her desire to get stronger and boost her resilience grew. Fueled with that desire, she sought medical help to deal with depression, and has built her determination to take on the challenges of hearing loss.

With much resolve and support from family and friends, Jo has advocated for herself as well as for the hearing loss community. She has overcome self-doubt and her musical career has thrived. With a grant and staff support from Center for Hearing and Communication (CHC), Jo founded a support group for artists who identify as deaf or hard of hearing. She also works for the Alliance of Resident Theaters (ART) as manager of external relations.

After completing her talk, Jo entertained the meeting’s attendees with original guitar and violin musical compositions.

To watch a captioned video of this meeting on YouTube, click here.

February 17: Listening Fatigue. Dr. Kathleen Pichora-Fuller of the University of Toronto will be the speaker. She is the co-author of numerous foundational studies on listening fatigue and hearing effort.

March 17: An Evening of Theater. Jay Alan Zimmerman will discuss his new theatrical song cycle, "Songs For Hands On A Thursday," in which he blends song, sign language, artful open captions, visual music, and the poetry of playwright Sarah Ruhl. In addition, he will talk about his hearing loss and the challenges he faces as a composer. 

April 21: Hearing-Health Literacy. The speaker will be Dr. Samuel Atcherson, Professor and Director of Audiology Research at the University of Arkansas for Medical Services. Among the topics he will address is disparity in access to hearing health.

May 19: Annual Albert B. Chen Scholarship Program. Nicole Varghese, a previous winner of the Albert B. Chen Scholarship, will be the main speaker. 

We are honored to recognize our chapter's 2025 donors. These contributions fuel our work, strengthen our shared mission, and ensure that no one faces hearing loss alone.

Katherine Bouton

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