Employment and acceptance of hearing protectors in classical symphony and opera orchestras

Abstract

The subject of hearing protection in orchestral musicians should be investigated with a multidimensional approach which considers the following in equal measure: legal regulations, the requirements and limits of the music sector and the individual characteristics of the musicians involved.

An Acoustical Analysis of the Frequency-Attenuation Response of Musician Earplugs

“…Thus, MEPs do not attenuate musical stimuli in a way that reduces levels equally across frequencies. These results help explain why musicians 1) complain that the ER-15 distorts the timbre of music [9], 2) report the most important factor for non-use is sonority of their own instrument [8], 3) don't like the ER-15 because they change the natural sound of the instrument [12], and 4) can't communicate musically when using the ER-20 [11]. This also offers an important hypothesis regarding why the spectral characteristics of musical output changes when musicians use and perform using ER-15 earplugs [13].…”

“…A literature review examining these special claims suggests that musicians rate the use of these products negatively [8][9][10][11][12]. In addition to problems with pressure, pain, and discomfort, musicians report low-usage rates of MEPs due to interference with playing ability, distortion of timbre, sonority, and dynamics of the music they and others are playing.…”

Músicos de pop-rock: avaliação da satisfação com protetores auditivos

“…31 The most important point favoring the use of hearing protectors in a study of opera and classical musicians was perception of the sonority of the instrument itself, that is, whether use of hearing protectors did or did not generate sound distortion of instruments. 32 The most frequent negative sensations due to protectors were dampened voice (43.5%) and pressure in the ear (39.1%). Only 4.3% of musicians said they had no negative sensations with protectors.…”

“…The results corroborate research findings showing that hearing complaints interfere in the evaluation and use of hearing protectors. 14,31,32 According to survey data, more hearing complaints relate to increased concern by musicians about their hearing; they are consequently more aware of the perception of discomfort with noise exposure at work. In such cases there is more acceptance of hearing protectors and its use in rehearsals and performances becomes more frequent.…”

“…32 It is worth noting that not using hearing protectors may contribute significantly to the onset of hearing loss. A study of 42 non-professional pop-rock musicians compared audiological results of musicians that used and did not use hearing protectors; controls were a group of 20 normal hearing subjects.…”