Snap Judgment: The Muse – Snap Classic

Date: November 6, 2025
Podcast: Snap Judgment & PRX
Host: Glynn Washington

Episode Overview

This “Snap Classic” episode, titled The Muse, dives deep into the lives of individuals transformed by profound, often unexpected inspiration or change. The focus is on two remarkable stories: one about Matt Hay, who confronts sudden deafness and discovers the sustaining power of love and music, and another about Derek Amato, whose brush with disaster unlocks an astonishing musical talent. Throughout, the episode explores what—and who—acts as a “muse” in our most pivotal moments.

Story 1: Matt Hay – Music, Love, and the Sound of Memory

(01:21–37:10)

Matt’s Diagnosis and the Looming Silence

• Early Clues:

  • As a child, Matt fakes his way through audio tests, unable to truly hear the tones but unwilling to face what it means.
    • “Sometimes raising my hand because I felt like it had been too long since I heard the tone. So I was just making it up.” —Matt Hay (04:04)

• Life-changing News:

  • At 18, he’s rejected from West Point due to “substandard auditory acuity.”
  • An MRI reveals he has neurofibromatosis type 2, a rare genetic condition causing tumors on his hearing nerves.
    • “It affects 1 in 40,000 people. And like, we had never heard of it, because why would anybody have heard of it?” —Matt Hay (05:07)

Preparing for Deafness: Love, Loss, and Playlists

• Facing Certainty:

  • His doctor tells him not only might he lose his hearing, but there’s a risk of far worse.
    • “You’re probably going to lose your hearing. It’s not that big of a deal, which is a bold statement for somebody that’s not going to lose their hearing.” —Matt Hay (05:48)

• Learning Coping Skills:

  • Matt enrolls in sign language, but struggles—he’s learning out of necessity, not curiosity.
    • “Most of the people in the room were there to learn sign language because it would be neat. I was there to learn it because—it was a need.” —Matt Hay & Nora (07:08, 07:20)

• Preserving What Matters:

  • With deafness inevitable, Matt begins “cramming for sound”—listening to, memorizing, and associating his favorite songs with cherished memories.
    • “What songs do I want stuck in my head for the rest of my life?” —Matt Hay (08:02)
    • “I want to make sure that I remember what these sound like.” —Matt Hay (15:06)

Falling in Love: Nora, Music, and Facing the Unknown

• Connection through Sound:

  • Matt meets Nora at a New Year’s party, and their relationship develops as Nora learns to adapt to his hearing loss, always positioning herself on his "good side."
    • “He had a good side, so I would always walk on that side, talk on that side, and it became habit.” —Nora (13:09)

• Strength in Adversity:

  • Nora stands by Matt through surgeries and rehabilitation. She gives up med school, raises money for research, and helps make life joyful amidst hardship.
    • “You can’t not marry the girl that does that.” —Matt Hay (17:59)

• The Last Sound:

  • On the day Matt loses his hearing, he and Nora decide to make it a memory: margaritas and guacamole, laughter, and exchanging “I love you.”
    • “He wanted me to laugh so he would remember that and hear me say I love you.” —Nora (20:27)
    • “I wanted to make sure I remember what it sounded like.” —Matt Hay (20:49)

Deafness, Technology, and Rediscovered Sound

• Life in “Silence”:

  • Silence is not what Matt gets—phantom noises fill his head, and adapting is arduous.
    • “One ear…a roaring freight train, and the other ear…a cryptic organ. Your brain wants to hear something, and when it can’t, it manufactures its own noise.” —Matt Hay (24:07)

• Communication Challenges:

  • They struggle with sign language and resort to fingerspelling or charades, even to argue or discuss life-changing decisions.
    • “We had to learn to communicate, but we had to learn how to fight, too.” —Nora (25:41)

• A Bold Gamble for Sound:

  • Matt undergoes rare surgery for an Auditory Brainstem Implant. Initially, all sounds are just robotic gibberish.
    • “Clapping or a dog bark or an oven timer going off, everything just had the same kind of wah, wah, wah, wah.” —Matt Hay (28:48)
    • Compared to getting glasses: “Which is better, this or this? And the A goes from really blurry to being really crisp.” —Matt Hay (29:47)

Practicing Parent, Practicing Sound

• Setting New Goals:

  • Motivation grows with the arrival of twins, then a third child. He works hard to distinguish daily sounds and the voices of loved ones.
    • “After I lost my hearing, my goal was to be able to hear people say, hello and I love you.” —Nora (34:27)

• Music Returns:

  • He listens constantly to familiar, simple songs—especially the Beatles—retraining his brain to recognize rhythms and melodies.
    • “Songs with minimal lyrics and really clear rhythms…Let it be? Because I got the, like, bom, bom, bom.” —Matt Hay (33:38)

• New Memories:

  • Singing lullabies with his children, he realizes he’s built new musical memories—even after losing his hearing.
    • “When I listen to All I Want Is Yous Now, the memory it takes me back to is Kate being an infant and toddler. And…I didn’t realize that until right now.” —Nora (36:19)

Standout Quotes & Moments

• “What do you do when you lose your hearing? … You go get margaritas and guacamole.” —Nora & Matt Hay (20:08–20:12)
• “So I can remember walking there and just sitting across, having margaritas and telling each other I love you.” —Matt Hay (20:14)
• “There was a moment when Luke and Maddie were babies…we’d, like, sit side by side and read and play the Beatles lullabies.” —Nora (35:13)

Story 2: Derek Amato – The Accidental Maestro

(38:02–49:02)

Catastrophe Becomes Creativity

• The Accident:

  • Derek, never a musician, dives into a shallow pool and suffers a major concussion, losing half his hearing on one side. (39:02)
  • “I dove in toward the shallow end…striking the bottom with the upper left part of my head…as if someone just stuck two sticks of dynamite in my ears.” —Derek Amato (39:12)

• A Strange Calling:

  • Days later, at a friend’s house, Derek is drawn to the keyboard—and plays fluidly, astonishing those around him and himself.
  • “My fingers began to play as if I had played pretty much all my life. And this is the very first piece that I ever played.“ —Derek Amato (39:51)

From Ordinary to “Savant”

• Coming to Terms:

  • Diagnosed with “acquired musical savant syndrome,” Derek experiences the world and music differently.
    • “My mind basically creates a pattern of black and white squares…that are my brain's musical notation.” —Derek Amato (41:37)

• Unpredictable Gift:

  • He has no control over the music, can’t read notation, but produces complex compositions.
    • “I have no control of what comes next. I have no idea what those notes are gonna be. So sometimes it’s pop, and sometime it's rock, and sometimes it's Beethoven.” —Derek Amato (42:27)

The Burden and Joy of Genius

• Life’s Upheaval:

  • Derek leaves the business world, faces financial struggles and homelessness, but continues to perform and speak about his experience.
  • “You know, just because you fall under the title of a savant doesn't mean you’re the best piano player on the planet.” —Derek Amato (44:53)

• A New Way of Living:

  • Despite uncertainty, he finds purpose and joy in his music, living in the moment.
  • “So I live in the moment, and I think I’m going to continue to live in the moment because that’s what brings me joy.” —Derek Amato (48:41)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “I sat down and I started playing and [my mom] started crying. And then the salesman came over and said, how long have you been playing? And I said, well, about five hours.” —Derek Amato (40:56)
• “Those black and white squares dictate what I play.” —Derek Amato (41:54)
• “When I sit down at the piano, you know, it’s always a surprise.” —Derek Amato (48:34)

Key Themes & Insights

The Power of the Muse

• Sometimes the “muse” is a person—the beloved who inspires, supports, and co-creates new meaning, as with Matt and Nora.
• Other times, the muse arrives suddenly, inexplicably—a new artistic vision after trauma, like with Derek.

What Do We Choose to Remember?

• Matt’s story asks: If you were about to lose your hearing forever, what sounds, words, or songs would you want preserved in memory?
• Derek’s experience reveals the unpredictability of creative inspiration; genius may come from unlikely, even tragic, places.

Adaptation and Acceptance

• Coping with sudden limitations—whether through technology, community, or self-driven practice—can create new ways of connecting with what (and who) we love.

Memorable Moments With Timestamps

• Matt’s diagnosis and first signs of hearing loss: 04:04–05:58
• Matt and Nora’s first kiss and long-distance love: 12:14–13:09
• Using music as emotional anchor and memory bank: 08:02–09:48
• The “last” I love you in sound: 20:08–20:49
• Turning on the auditory brainstem implant: 28:04–29:09
• Recognizing favorite songs again, post-surgery: 33:38–34:09
• Derek’s musical awakening after the accident: 39:51–40:28
• Description of savant experience (black and white squares): 41:17–42:27
• Reflecting on the burden and beauty of his gift: 44:53–48:41

Conclusion

Through exquisitely crafted stories and authentic voices, this episode of Snap Judgment immerses listeners in what it means to lose, to adapt, and—sometimes miraculously—to create. From Matt’s journey with Nora and reclaiming music in a world of new silence, to Derek’s brush with genius after trauma, The Muse celebrates the unpredictable inspirations and connections that shape our lives.