Prevent Hearing Loss

I like Wagner’s music so much better than anybody’s. It’s so loud that one can talk the whole time without people hearing you. - Bob Marley

Hearing damage is irreversible but it can be prevented if you practice safe listening. In fact, more than a third of all hearing loss is preventable. Most common causes are: noisy workplaces, noisy recreational pastimes and of course, loud music.Musicians are particularly at risk of developing hearing loss and tinnitus. Unless you take steps to protect your hearing you could be risking permanent damage to your ears. 

The Cause

Hearing damage due to hazardous levels music is caused by two things — volume and duration. The higher the volume the shorter the listening time before problems may occur. A safe limit is 85 decibels and this should not exceed 4 hours/day. 

3 steps to safe listening

  • Turn down the volume

  • Move away from the source

  • Use ear protection

Protect Musicians Hearing

4 steps to protecting your hearing as a Musician

Step 1: Get Assessed

The first step is to determine if your hearing is unaffected. This will determine how we need to manage your hearing. 

  • Sensitivity Tests - When you think ‘hearing test’ you probably have images of sitting in a chair, earphones on listening out for the 'beep'...Pure tone, mid frequency and high frequency audiometry is used to give us information about your hearing sensitivity. But, it sheds no light on the way sound is heard at the brain.  Many musicians have presented with normal hearing sensitivity on the audiogram even though they find it difficult to cope and participate.Our understanding of musicians' hearing goes beyond the hearing test. Knowing how you apply meaning to sound is key and this is where we start.

  • Functional Tests - Hearing happens at the Brain!Functional tests give us information about your listening ability in quiet, in noise, and in complex environments with many different sound sources with different spatial cues. It provides a great picture of how you use and process the acoustic information provided to you through hearing.

Step 2:

Take Our Advice

Advice on environmental strategies to help reduce music exposure in your particular set up such as stage positioning and arrangement, hearing protection, in ear monitoring, sound system considerations, and more. 

Step 3: Use Protection

Historically, hearing protection solutions have not been well received by musicians with common complaints of feelings uncomfortable and sounding muffledThat’s history. Today’s solutions are comfortable, lightweight and most important, effective. Low bass, mid-range and higher treble notes are attenuated equally, so it’s like turning down the volume without sacrificing definition. Speech sounds clear and the potential for hearing damage is reduced immensely. Read more on Hearing Protection

Step 4: Monitor

To ensure your protection is functioning effectively and is in good working condition, we will remind you to visit us at least once a year to monitor your hearing and ensure that your hearing is protected.