Pacific Audiology Group

CE INFO: IHS 0.5H; AHIP 0.5H; CAA 0.5H; SAC 0.5H

COURSE ABSTRACT:

Music exposure can pose a problem, especially with the advent of “portable” music. Despite the complexity of the human auditory system, it does not know the difference between industrial noise and music. Indeed, many of the factors can equally affect music exposure as well as industrial exposure. This talk is an overview of those factors affecting hearing for musicians as well as environmental strategies, some tricks, and hearing protection to minimize the potential damaging effects of music.  

COURSE SUMMARY:

There have been many studies over the past 40 years assessing the noise levels of symphony orchestras, rock bands, and other music performances. While there is a significant amount of variation, it is not unusual to find that musicians obtain their maximum weekly dose of music exposure by mid-week and are subjected to levels that, in other jurisdictions, may require hearing conservation controls. When dealing with musicians, the audiologic concern tends to be more about the prevention of tinnitus and pitch perception problems than about hearing loss per se. It is tinnitus that can be career threatening and it appears that audiometric hearing loss may only be a secondary issue. Having said this, the primary method to prevent tinnitus is to prevent hearing loss. Therefore the orientation of the audiologist who works with musicians needs to be more multi-faceted than that for industrial workers. The audiologic assessments of musicians need to be different than those of industrial workers. This may involve the use of otoacoustic emissions and even a “forensic” environmental approach to ascertain where any offending music source is. A literature review of many of the important studies, along with a survey of some of the more recent regulations and laws around the world will be given. The factors that affect hearing loss from music and noise exposure will be compared and contrasted. The two primary factors affecting both music and industrial noise include exposure level in dBA and the length of duration. However, music is unlike industrial noise in some interesting spectral and temporal ways such that other issues such as the intermittent nature of music (loud-soft-loud), and the role of the stapedial reflex may be important factors for musicians. It will be shown that sometimes, even a very subtle difference between the physical properties of music and noise can point to strategies that musicians can use in order to be protected from loud music. Using both a theoretical and a clinical framework, environmental modification strategies will be developed that have shown themselves to be easy to implement in a wide range of musical venues. Such modifications may involve, the moving and re-orienting of loud speakers, movement of the musicians themselves, use of baffles, and the use of risers. Examples of how these modifications have been implemented in various performance venues will be given. These include concert halls, multi-purpose community center rooms, and high school classrooms. Since 1988, uniform hearing protection that attenuates all sounds by an equal amount have been available for musicians. The advantages of a uniform hearing protector is that the balance of the lower frequency fundamental energy and the higher frequency harmonic energy, will be maintained. Music, with and without uniform attenuation hearing protection will still sound the same- only less damaging. Tips will be given for the fitting of hearing protection for musicians along with modifications for various instrument categories. Attenuation verification techniques will also be discussed and these range from real ear attenuation threshold methods to more subjective techniques.  

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

INSTRUCTOR 

Marshall Chasin  
Doctor of Audiology

As director of research and chief audiologist of the Musicians' Clinics of Canada, Marshall Chasin has the experience and knowledge help musicians with their specific hearing needs. As founding member of the Hearing Instrument Review Panel, Marshall Chasin has reviewed many new hearing aids, which allows him to choose from the very best for our clients. Marshall Chasin is the author of five books on hearing, hearing loss prevention, and hearing aids. He is an associate professor in Audiology at the University of Western Ontario; an adjunct professor in Linguistics at the University of Toronto; and an adjunct research associate at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo. Marshall is also the author of a weekly blog (www.hearinghealthmatters.org/hearthemusic) having over 10,000 monthly visitors.