Being a musician has its challenges. From a hearing specialist’s standpoint, musicians must guard against noise-induced hearing loss. The best way for musicians to preserve their hearing is to wear headphones or earplugs so they can modulate the sounds entering their ears. On the other hand, playing music can not only be a joyful experience, but there is new research showing that it can actually improve hearing ability. According to an examination of musicians between ages 45 and 65, their auditory memory and ability to hear speech in noisy environments were better than those of non-musicians of similar ages. It appears that music training fine-tunes sound processing centers of the brain, thereby priming them for the perception of speech.
In addition to earplugs, another option for musicians is an in-ear monitor. This innovation in the music industry allows each band member to hear the part of the music he or she requires to perform well. It can provide some noise reduction and eliminate the need for much larger stage monitors, which are a source of increased noise onstage. To learn more, please call BETTER HEARING CENTER . New Hampshire’s premier hearing care provider.
P.S. Listening to and performing music are both necessary for experiencing the hearing improvement described above.
