Tuesday, February 27, 2007

UNT College of Music teaches students about the risk of hearing loss

By Pegasus News wire

Dedicated musicians enclose themselves in tiny practice rooms for hours, repeating excerpts again and again with the sound bouncing off the walls. They play in orchestras in front of the rat-a-tat of snare drums, the blaring of trumpets and the booming of tubas.

For all this dedication, they could be slowly ruining one of their most important assets as a musician — their hearing.

UNT is setting out to change that.

Through the Texas Center for Music and Medicine, the College of Music is educating students about the risk of noise-induced hearing loss in music ensembles — helping them save their hearing for longer musical careers and improving their quality of life.

“Hearing loss is a huge issue, not only in music education, but for all of society,” says Kris Chesky, director of education and research for the Texas Center of Music and Medicine. “Digital technologies have given us more opportunities to create sound. We’re exposed to noise from computer games, loud movies in theaters, earphones, car stereos and more.”

About 28 million people in the United States have some form of hearing loss, and research by several organizations — including UNT — suggests 30 percent to 50 percent of musicians report hearing problems.

To combat this problem, UNT started distributing information this semester to its College of Music students in ensembles, informing them of the possible danger of noise-induced hearing loss and advising them of resources to protect their hearing. Ensemble directors and teachers are discussing noise-induced hearing loss and prevention methods with their students.

Students also are directed to an informational video about noise-induced hearing loss.

In addition, Chesky developed and teaches a new course, “Occupational Health: Lessons from Music,” for undergraduate students of any major. The class, which began in Fall 2006, focuses on musculoskeletal, hearing and mental health issues associated with musical occupations.

Chesky hopes schools and musical organizations across the globe follow UNT’s lead.

“Raising awareness about hearing loss is an easy, efficient, cost-effective first step that schools can take to prevent injuries, and it has long-term implications for keeping students safe so they can fully enjoy music for the rest of their lives,” Chesky says.

UNT’s hearing-loss education and prevention recommendations are the result of a Health Promotion in Schools of Music project, funded by the National Endowment for the Arts; the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the organization that awards the Grammys; the International Foundation for Music Research; NAMM, formerly known as the National Association of Music Merchants; and the Scott Foundation.

UNT’s Health Promotion in Schools of Music recommendations were sent to all college-level schools of music that are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music. NASM has more than 600 accredited college programs nationwide.

The Texas Center for Music and Medicine was founded at UNT in 1999 as the nation’s first center dedicated to studying, treating and preventing musicians’ health problems. Researchers and clinicians within the UNT System, including faculty from the College of Music, the College of Arts and Sciences and the UNT Health Science Center, conduct interdisciplinary research and provide clinical treatment to musicians in the north Texas region.

Source: UNT

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