Recommendation 2
Educational Module for Informing Music Students about Hearing Loss
Goal 3. To inform students about how to reduce the risk and prevent hearing loss.
Experts agree that proactive strategies can contribute significantly to the prevention of hearing loss due to overexposure. To fully realize these benefits, students should be continuously encouraged to take individual responsibility, including making the use of free opportunities and resources available at school.
To fulfill this goal, instructing faculty should:
1) Encourage students to get a baseline audiological evaluation when they first enroll and to have subsequent annual checkups. Evaluations on many campuses are free through the Department of Speech and Hearing. Annual test results should be compared to the baseline test and monitored for change.
2) Instruct students to learn about the audiogram from an audiologist and the importance of maintaining a baseline audiogram for future comparison.
3) Describe warning signs of overexposure, such as temporary threshold shifts, ear discomfort during or after exposure, ringing and buzzing sensation in the ears, and difficulty hearing in noise.
4) Encourage the use of personal sound level meter and/or personal dosimeter for estimating the amount of sound generated in a particular ensemble or for an entire day, including out of school sound exposures.
5) Provide tips for reducing risk including by encouraging students to:
- Moderate loudness levels
- Reduce exposure time to sounds greater than 85dBA
- Reduce repeated or cumulative exposures
- Avoid hazardous sound environments
- Give ears a periodic rest after exposure to loud sounds.
- Monitor sounds in excess of 85dBA