In our third in a series of posts about results from our Collegiate Music Facility Information Project, Byron Harrison of TALASKE discusses observations regarding noise induced hearing loss.The observations and comments noted are based on responses from 78 schools.

We tend to romanticize the stories of Beethoven and Smetana, both of whom continued composing after serious hearing impairment. Still, it is difficult to imagine a more tragic story than an artist who struggles with a disability that limits his capacity to work.

Do we take hearing loss seriously enough? What can we do to protect tomorrow’s Beethoven—and his teachers?

Until recently, stories of hearing loss tend to focus on the elderly, factory and construction workers, and rock band musicians. More and more, we hear about the dangers of noise-induced hearing loss to a broader cross-section of music lovers. With the fairly recent proliferation of hand-held audio devices, we have become concerned about hearing damage caused by consistent high-level headphone use, too.

In 2003, the European Union passed a directive on minimum health and safety requirements that did not exclude the entertainment industry. This served as an unwelcome wake-up call to classical musicians and music educators who had previously been largely unconcerned with this issue. The implication of the directive is clear: You only have two ears. Use them wisely.

Subsequently, the research world has made efforts to better determine what noise levels and duration will minimize risk. Also, the specific concerns of classical musicians have been researched, including the specific types of hearing loss and tinnitus experienced by classical musicians, the relation of instrument frequency response to hearing loss, and the position of the instrument relative to the ear.

These regulations and the topics of subsequent research have the potential to affect acoustic design and the everyday function of the music education facility.

In our Collegiate Music Education Facility Project survey, we asked music school executives about their hearing conservation programs and encouraged them to share their opinions on how suitable their buildings are with regard to noise exposure.

Eighteen percent of respondents indicated that they conduct seminars or provide information regarding hearing loss for musicians. Generally, schools with larger enrollments are more likely to have hearing conservation programs.

Nine percent of respondents indicated that throughout their facilities, they have rooms that seem excessively loud.  Alarmingly, 47% reported that certain rooms in their facilities are too loud.  The remainder of our sample indicated no concern regarding noise-induced hearing loss at their facilities.  There was observed a direct correlation of perceived loudness with the age of the facility:  the older the facility is the more likely it is to be perceived as excessively loud.

As acoustic consultants, we continue to believe that appropriate loudness is a critical element in rooms properly designed for good listening. The ceiling height of rehearsal spaces particularly influences loudness.  While our survey had no means of surveying actual loudness levels, the sentiments of people regarding noise levels were clearly correlated with reported ceiling heights.  The median ceiling height in band rooms of schools that indicated no concern regarding noise-induced hearing loss was 10 feet taller than other schools.  For chorus rooms, the median height was 7 feet taller.

To learn more about the Collegiate Music Facility Information Project and to receive a copy of the 2010 survey, join our email update list here.

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