Document Type

Capstone Project

Publication Date

Spring 4-19-2020

First Advisor

Antony Joseph, MA, Au.D., Ph.D., CCC-A, CPS/A, F-NAP

Keywords

music students, student musicians, noise induced hearing loss, hearing conservation, sound measurements, sound exposure, hearing loss prevention

Disciplines

Speech Pathology and Audiology

Abstract

There is an increased risk for occupational and recreational noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) and tinnitus among those who are exposed to prolonged and elevated sound intensities. For musicians, education and hearing conservation programs are rarely accessible. The purpose of this project was to measure, quantify, and more clearly understand the exposure risk for student musicians. Dosimetry and area sound level data were used to evaluate the exposure levels of students in a university music department while they practiced in ensemble rooms and a concert performance hall. Sound maps were used to illustrate the most intense positions in each music-practice environment. For all ensembles, the highest sound intensities were measured in the center of the room. For the performance hall, the greatest intensity-level of sound measurements occurred in various room positions. From these data, we learned that strategies should be implemented to protect music students, and their instructors, to prevent auditory injury.

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