Ear protection for musicians

[kitlane]

This article may be of interest. It outlines some recent research on the impact of playing an instrument on one's own hearing.

 

I look forward to a heated debate on the research methodology http://www.blue-room.org.uk/public/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif

[Simon Lewis]

...I look forward to a heated debate on the research methodology http://www.blue-room.org.uk/public/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif

 

Not heated... just an observation that writing down the results from a number of noise dose badges probably wouldn't have been considered stiff enough for a PhD, so he had to model it instead... :-)

 

There are, of course, a number of (incorrect) generalisations which arise every time the concept of a noise exposure limit is mentioned....

 

 

 

[Charlotte_R]

I was discussing this with the lady who SMed the last production that I lit. While she was doing our production as a hobby, she is a professional orchestral stage manager specialising in youth orchestra.

 

We were discussing hearing protection and how important it is; no matter what the sound actually is. I spent a lot of time at uni as a technician in clubs where it was drummed info is how important hearing protection was; she spends her life telling young musicians how important it is.

 

At the end of the discussion, an actor who is in the Christmas show piped up "well, we won't need hearing protection; we sound really good".

[cedd]

As I've said before, my dad has pretty severe hearing loss from years of playing in and conducting brass bands. One additional factor that they believe was also at play in dad's case (and probably many more like it) was the act of playing itself. Obviously as a tuba player he was sat directly in front of the percussion section which didn't help, but he also had a number of resonances at play with his head being so close to the bell of the tuba. I also wonder if the act of blowing in to an instrument itself may have an effect (positive or negative, don't know!) - we all know how it feels when our ears pop when pressures change in the ear. What action does the action of playing a wind or brass instrument have upon the ear with the changes in pressure? It'd make an interesting study. (I personally can't blow up balloons without bad earache afterwards - never have been able to. Just one of those things I think!).

 

My brother is a masters student up at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and they were handing out free ear protection at freshers week this year. Clearly with so many musicians in one place it's a great idea to do.

I'm quite fortunate that I work in a noisy working environment in the day job. We get annual hearing tests from our on site occupational health (even got the proper booth to do it in) and ear protection is handed out as if it was sweets.

[David Morison]

My brother is a masters student up at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and they were handing out free ear protection at freshers week this year.

 

Are you sure that's not just because of all the bagpipers they admit onto the Traditional Music degree path @ RCS ? http://www.blue-room.org.uk/public/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif