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Come On, Feel the Noise: Musicians and Hearing Loss
Guest: Ann DePaolo, Audiologist (www.audiologyoffices.com)

The benefits of being a musician or a teacher of music are endless. We get to celebrate music in our everyday lives! Whether we're teaching, learning, performing, or recording, we're living out loud.

And, the key word here is loud. As recent studies have proven, musicians experience an increased risk of hearing loss due to their more frequent exposure to loud sounds. Ann DePaolo, audiologist and owner of The Audiology Offices in Kilmarnock, Virginia, sees the effects of this overexposure everyday.

"It's not just frequency of loud sounds that musicians have to worry about," warns DePaolo. "It's about consistency and longevity." She adds, "Many Baby Boomers were listening to loud rock n' roll in the 60s, but now do so less often. Musicians, on the other hand, experience overexposure to loud sounds daily. In both cases, hearing loss is occurring at much younger ages, and the use of hearing aids has therefore increased dramatically."

According to the Hearing Aid Music Foundation, of the 28 million people who are deaf or hard of hearing in the US, 27 million have suffered their loss due to environmental causes such as overexposure to loud music. Another 50 million experience tinnitus, a constant ringing in the ears.

We need only to look to the popular musicians from the 70s and 80s, many of whom are involved in education efforts surrounding tinnitus and hearing loss, to see the effects of consistent overexposure to loud sound over the years:

• A 1987 Los Angeles Times article told of Pete Townsend's battle with tinnitus and his hearing loss. In the last line of the article, Townsend said that the saddest circumstance of his hearing loss was not being able to hear his children speak to him.
  
  
• Pat Benatar has teamed up with H.E.A.R. (Hearing Education Awareness for Rockers) and Energizer for their joint "It's Hip to H.E.A.R." campaign, a national hearing health effort targeted toward baby boomers.
  
  "As a professional rock musician and someone who was exposed to loud music at an early age, I know firsthand the risks of hearing loss and how it affects your quality of life, said Benatar to ADVANCE magazine. "Many of my friends in the industry didn't realize the damage they were doing until it was too late." She added, "My husband [guitarist] Neil and I have always taken steps to prevent hearing loss, including wearing in-ear monitors."
  
  H.E.A.R. is also promoting the Who's Not Forgotten: A Tribute to the Who CD, and all the proceeds will go to H.E.A.R. to help prevent hearing loss and tinnitus through education and advocacy (www.hearrecords.com).
  
  
• In an effort to create awareness about noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), and to encourage safer practices in consuming high decibel sound, The Hearing Aid Music Foundation has recently announced the completion of a 15-minute educational film entitled "Listen Smart - Safely Handling The Power of Sound" The film, along with a teacher's aid booklet, is being distributed by Human Relations Media to school districts throughout the U.S. and Canada, and other English-speaking countries around the world. The film features numerous recording artists, music and sound professionals, as well as prominent audiologists and medical experts in hearing loss.
  
  Artists involved in conveying their experience and advice on hearing conservation include Moby, Ozzy Osbourne, Darren Hayes from Savage Garden, Cyndi Lauper, Wyclef Jean, Lars Ulrich of Metallica, Tracy Bonham, Evan Seinfeld of Biohazard and HBO's "Oz," Deborah Harry of Blondie, Brad Delson from Linkin Park, producer Matthew Wilder, and entertainment impresario Russell Simmons.
  
  The film offers an introduction to information about hearing and the increased trend in noise-induced hearing loss. It provides advice on hearing protection and methods of safely consuming music. The diverse group of recording artists provides their own experience, advice, and views on the power of sound in their professional lives.
  
  

Dear Music Wizard,

Dear Music Wizard,

I am a performer who has tried over-the-counter earplugs in an effort to protect myself from hearing loss. Unfortunately, they make my voice sound hollow, and I can't hear others' speech clearly when I wear them. I've even tried cotton with no success. I'm ready to give up, but I don't want to risk my hearing. Any suggestions?

-- Hearing Hardship


Dear Hearing Hardship,

Cotton and tissue are ineffective, as they reduce sound by only less than 7 decibels. Conventional earplugs often cause the problems you mentioned, which is why I recommend that regular performers get custom fit earplugs from an audiologist. They're easy to insert, comfortable, and, best of all, they filter sound better than disposable plugs. Some even include a special filter that benefits musicians in that it lets the listener hear music at a safe level without sacrificing quality.

Happy Hearing!

The Music Wizard

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Do you have a question you'd like to ask a Music Wizard? Send your question to wizard@hearmeplay.com.

Interested in becoming a music wizard? Get great exposure, unique recognition and a personal discount code for unlimited orders! Take pride in building a valuable resource for the music community and utilize this creative outlet for your expertise. Send inquiries to wizard@hearmeplay.com.

Although noise-induced hearing loss is on the rise, there are ways to protect your hearing, and safely consume and perform music.

• Start with a little self-test. The folks at H.E.A.R. recommend that before a concert, set the volume of your car radio to a level where you can barely hear the words. A talk show works best, as sometimes it is hard to understand lyrics in music. After the concert, turn on the radio to the same setting. Can you still hear and understand the words? If not, you're experiencing a form of short term hearing loss called temporary threshold shift. When this happens too many times, the damage can become permanent.
  
  
• Get annual hearing checkups, just as you would with an annual physical or bi-annual dental checkup. Be on the lookout for any problems, such as:
  
  - acute or chronic dizziness
  - ear pain/discomfort
  - drainage from you ears
  - ringing/buzzing in the ears
  - slight muffling of sounds
  - difficulty understanding speech
    (you hear the words, you just can't understand them).
  - difficulty in hearing conversation in groups of people
    when there is background noise.
  
  
• Begin paying attention to noise levels, and recognizing when they're too high.
  
  
• Give your ears a rest for 24 hours after exposure to dangerous levels of noise.
  
  
• Investigate the variety of available ear protection devices, including musicians' earplugs, personal in-ear monitor systems, and universal and custom fit earphones. Let your audiologist help you find the right help for you to reduce your exposure to excessive levels of noise.
  
  

http://www.hearnet.com/index.shtml
Lesson plans for teachers

http://www.freesheetmusic.net/new_sheet_music.html
Free sheet music

http://www.lacostamusic.com
A music business site with contract templates, news, etc.

http://www.music2master.com/lessons29.html
Music practice tips

http://www.zzounds.com/prodsearch?cat=2721
Both digital and wireless in-ear monitors

http://www.proaudiosuperstore.com/personal-monitor.html?OVRAW=in-ear%20monitors&OVKEY=in%20ear%20monitor&OVMTC=standard
Shure Monitors

http://customearpiece.com/monitor.mainpage.html
Custom ear inserts

At HearMePlay.com, we're dedicated to readers like you who are looking to make a living in the music world - even if it's not through performance or music instruction. Below are some fundraising ideas, grants and scholarship opportunities to keep music alive in your world and ours!

http://www.lib.msu.edu/harris23/grants/3music.htm
Lists of grants for individuals

http://www.wku.edu/Dept/Academic/AHSS/Music/Grantsinfo.html
Scholarship and grant information

http://www.imafoundation.homestead.com
International Music & Art Foundation that receives funds from individuals and corporations for distribution in support of worthy arts organizations worldwide.

http://www.arrowheadarts.org/youth.htm
Music scholarships for children

http://www.fundsnetservices.com
Fundraising and grant information

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