Mandy Harvey

“Technology is improving to prevent musicians from losing their hearing while performing on stage... audience members losing their hearing from listening to loud music… people being able to e...”

“A long time ago I started talking into a balloon so I could feel myself talking, to practice judging volume, and compare it to other musicians.”

“So I studied a lot with the balloon, and in learning how to sing with other musicians and keep in time - that's all by touch. A lot of that I feel in my body, and growing up with hearing I h...”

“I work a lot with dynamics of how loud I'm talking, like speaking into balloons and then feeling the texture on my fingertips, and then I get used to the feeling on my throat.”

“If I take back any of the bumps, bruises or scrapes I’ve been through. I wouldn’t be the same person.”

“I miss the common things, the things that used to really annoy me, like an alarm clock. The sound of your zipper as your fly is being pulled up so that you know it actually is up. The sound...”

“When I’m playing with my band, I designate different parts to feel different things. The bass pounds in your chest when you go to a concert. It almost replaces your heartbeat. Then the drums...”

“I don’t live my life based on fear of failure. I live my life with an understanding of failure and I’m embracing it, because every time I fail, I learn something new.”

“I’m not scared to sing songs. I’m not scared to walk out the front door and make a mistake.”

“When I was losing my hearing, we had to buy hearing aids and they were incredibly expensive. It was a huge financial situation.”

“My understanding of current music stopped in 2006, so I am continually inspired by music from the past. Three Dog Night, Harry Nilsson, Bob Dylan, Herman’s Hermits, Association, Eagles, Beat...”

“What I do is I get the sheet music and I put it out for myself and then I use a visual tuner to go through each note individually. And every time I make a mistake, I start the song over agai...”

“I'm not a story; I'm a person, and my passion is music. And I want your passion to be my music - so, judge me on my music.”

“I really wanted to change the idea of what is possible and to show that 'deaf can' and what better place to do that than on national television?”

“I am an ambassador for a nonprofit organization and I love being able to help people crush their barriers. I recently wrote a book. I want to do more with my life and help people do more wit...”

“My feeling of security really went down the tubes when I couldn't hear anymore. When it got dark, I'd get very afraid because I can't hear people coming up behind me.”

“I use the aid of technology while running through songs. Visual tuners and feeling the vibrations through the floor to keep time.”