In part one of this two-part series, I made a call for those hearing health care professionals who are interested in working with musicians and those in the performing arts. In part 2, I suggest a curriculum of topics that would delineate a minimum requirement for working with musicians.
I have listed these under four general categories. This is just a rough outline, but each of these topics can be expanded upon. In many cases, we can “transfer” our knowledge to make it more appropriate to the treatment of musicians. For example, our study of earmold acoustics has taught us a significant amount about how musical instrument work in terms of resonances.
I am contemplating running a series of (Internet-based) workshops in this subject area, and although this is still quite preliminary, the following curriculum is probably a fairly complete overview of what I feel to be the relevant topics. For more information, please contact me at [email protected] or through this blog site.
WORKING WITH MUSICIANS- A CURRICULUM
A. Acoustics and psychoacoustics of music and musical instruments
a. Physics of sound transmission (including head shadow and body baffle effects)
b. Psychoacoustics (missing fundamental, dyplacusis, and central processing of music)
c. Acoustic laws of physics- forgotten but still relevant?
d. Quarter- and half-wavelength resonators
e. Helmholtz resonators
f. Similarities and differences between speech and music
g. Sound level, and time-weighted measures
h. Recreational music (ipods and MP3 players, Fligor rule)
i. Room acoustics and measures
j. Real-ear measurement as a tool for spectral analysis
B. Diagnostics of musicians
a. Similarities and differences between musicians and non-musicians
b. Symmetrical and asymmetrical exposure of noise and music
c. TTS as a predictor of PTS and relevant physiology
d. Use of otoacoustic emission testing as an early warning sign
e. Knowledge of limitations of conventional methods of testing
f. Damage risk criteria (DRC); how this varies between occupational and music exposure
C. Assessment of musical instruments
a. Knowledge of typical sound levels of musical instruments
b. Knowledge of the relevant research to date
c. Real-ear measures at various locations (in ear, in situ,…)
d. Tinnitus
e. Dyplacusis
f. Counselling
D. Prevention of hearing loss with musicians
a. Moderation and DRC
b. Uniform and non-uniform hearing protection
c. Custom and non-custom
d. Modifications of hearing protection
e. Active hearing protection
f. Assessment of hearing protection (active and passive)
g. Monitoring improvements (electronic, acoustic, …)
E. Treatment of musicians with hearing loss
a. Amplification parameters
b. Similarities and differences between music and speech as input stimuli
c. Peak input limiting levels
d. Multi- vs. single-channel hearing aids
e. Frequency response
f. Amplitude and frequency compression characteristics
g. Clinical strategies to improve currently existing hearing aids
h. Technical innovations in the field
i. No hearing aids, hearing aids, and PSAPs
