Audiology program promotes hearing protection through ADOPT-A-BAND
Posted: September 17, 2018
Education, awareness, and protecting the hearing of young musicians are the foundation of the ADOPT-A-BAND program, an initiative of Etymotic Research.
A.T. Still University‘s (ATSU) chapter of the Student Academy of Audiology (SAA) donated high fidelity earplugs to 70 high school students from Mesa’s Skyline Coyote Marching Band. These special earplugs are designed for musicians and preserve the sound quality of music and voices, while reducing damaging noise to safe levels.
SAA officer, Aarshee Talwar, organized the event by reaching out to Etymotic Research to order the appropriate earplugs. SAA was successful in covering the cost of the earplugs through donations and fundraisers.
Taryn Thorstad, SAA’s Humanitarian/Community Outreach Chair, provided an educational presentation and instruction for using and storing the earplugs to the marching band students, under the supervision of Audiology Department Chair, Tabitha Parent-Buck, AuD.
“This event demonstrated a growing concern among young persons about hearing conservation, and enabled them to express their preventative, proactive voice to advocate their own hearing health and safety. It was everything we could have hoped for in the event,” noted Thorstad.