The Musicians’ Hearing Health Scheme
The Hearing Space is delighted to be a recognised partner with the Musicians’ Hearing Health Scheme.
The Musicians’ Hearing Health Scheme is a service that provides professional musicians in the UK with affordable access to specialist hearing assessments and hearing protection. It is run by the Musicians’ Hearing Services, which is based in London. (MHS)
The scheme was set up in partnership with Help Musicians and the Musicians’ Union.
Access to the scheme costs £50 (£37.50 for Musician’s Union (MU) or Independent Society of Musicians (ISM) members) and this provides a care package worth over £240.
The scheme has been set up to prevent hearing loss and tinnitus, which can be a direct consequence of being exposed to loud levels of music over prolonged periods.
What’s included
Audiological assessment and ear check-up from our Clinical Director, Paul Shaw (value up to £100). Paul is an expert in audiology, and he himself acquired tinnitus at an early age, primarily due to his love of music. At that time, hearing protection was not talked about and like many of his peer group, tinnitus and hearing loss became all too common.
A set of custom-made, specialist musicians’ earplugs (value £149). Colours & cords are included.
Expert advice on referral routes and next steps to manage any problems.
What are the risks of excessive sound?
The two main risks from exposure to high sound levels are hearing loss and tinnitus (typically a ringing or hissing sound in the ears/head). Following a single ‘ acoustic event ‘, hearing can be temporarily or sometimes permanently affected. Tinnitus can also appear suddenly or more often as a gradual onset, following multiple exposures to loud events. Typically, the name given to sound-induced hearing loss is Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL).
What increases these risks?
Sounds that can cause problems include short-duration sounds (e.g., gunfire or explosions) and sounds that last a long time (e.g., listening to music at a gig, playing music professionally or listening to personal headphones). The two key factors that affect the impact of sounds are the loudness of the sound and the duration of the sound. For example, a brief explosion of a second or two may have the same impact as, say, four hours of listening to a concert at high levels.
How are these risks measured?
Typically, sound level meters measure sound in decibels or dB A. Conversational speech generally is around 55 – 65 dB A. Sounds at 85 dB A can lead to hearing loss if listened to for more than 8 hours at a time. Sounds over 85 dB A can damage your hearing quicker, and there is a way to estimate the risks for different sound levels. For example, listening to music at 85 dB A for 8 hours has the same impact as listening to the same music at 88 dB A for 4 hours and at 91 dB A for 2 hours. For every 3 dB decrease in level, the duration can be doubled for the same impact on your hearing.
Indicators of harmful levels of sound
You must raise your voice to be heard. You can’t hear or understand someone 3 feet away from you. Speech around you appears muffled or dull after you leave the noisy area. You have pain or ringing in your ears after you hear the noise, called tinnitus. It can last for a few minutes or a few days.
What causes the damage to hearing?
A previous blog introduced how we hear an Introduction to how we hear.
The risk to musicians
Musicians, DJs, professional singers, and anyone exposed to higher levels of sound for extended periods are more likely to experience tinnitus and hearing loss. Thus, steps must be taken to mitigate the risk of damage to the hearing system. Custom hearing protection is a great way to reduce the sound level, allowing the individual to spend more time in their environment with a much-reduced risk to their hearing.
Custom hearing protection comes with a choice of filters. Filters can be chosen depending on the need. For example, a drummer may need more hearing protection than a singer who sings unamplified.
How to apply
To apply for the scheme, follow the link ‘Apply for the Hearing Health Scheme’
Following application, you can select Leeds as your centre to attend and you will receive an invite to arrange an appointment at ‘The Hearing Space’. When we see you, we will carefully check your ears for any issues like earwax. If found, this can be removed for a reduced fee. If your ears are clear, we will carefully asssess your hearing and take the hsapes (impressions) of your ears wich will allow for the custom heairng protection to be made. We will talk through your hearing test results and advise you on any issues that we find.
Many musicians put off getting hearing protection until they notice problems with either hearing or tinnitus. Our advice would be that prevention is better than cure. As our Clinical Director knows, tinnitus is often the first sign of hearing damage and if you can avoid this, why not!