Hearing
- Hearing health is essential to your lifelong success as a musician.
- Noise-induced hearing loss is largely preventable.
- Hearing loss is permanent and can never be regained.
- Avoid overexposure to loud sounds, especially for long periods of time.
- Sounds over 85 dB (vacuum cleaner) in intensity pose the greatest risk to hearing.
- Recent research suggests that controlling volume by playing with a variety of dynamic ranges is one of the best ways to protect hearing in any practice or performance environment, regardless of room size.
- You may choose to use foam earplugs or earmuffs to protect hearing when you cannot control the volume.
- Brass and percussion players in particular should invest in custom molded earplugs.
- Woodwind players and anyone directly in front of brass or percussion would also benefit from using earplugs in rehearsal.
- Musicians’ earplugs are custom molded earplugs that let musicians hear their own instrument and their blend with others. They reduce sound levels evenly so that music and speech are clear and natural, rather than muffled. The cost of these earplugs is significantly reduced to approximately $100 when purchased from the audiology clinic at Baylor. Baylor Audiology Clinic: 254-710-2568 (Carrie_drew@baylor.edu).