Susan L. Phillips, Ph.D., CCC-A

Assistant Professor of Audiology

Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders
University of North Carolina Greensboro

This is my son as the Pirate King!

Hearing and Musicians

Sound Levels in Practice Rooms

• Hypothesis: Sound levels in student practice rooms would be high enough to trigger OSHA regulation were the School of Music an industrial site.
• Methods: Measurements were taken of student practice sessions with a dosimeter attached to one shoulder.
• Results: Mean sound levels exceed 85 dBA, the level at which OSHA would mandate a Hearing Conservation Program.

Hearing Acuity in Undergraduate Music Students

• Hypothesis: A significant number of undergraduate music students will demonstrate a noise notch.
• Methods: This is the second year of a longitudinal study of hearing in undergraduate students.
• Results of the first years measurements show that over 50% of the students who participated had a noise notch at 6000 Hz. Students who produce their music orally reported tinnitus more frequently than those who do not.

Real Ear Measurements of Instrument Intensity

• Hypothesis: Sound levels at the tympanic membrane will be significantly higher in clarinet players than cello players when sound levels at the outer ear are the same, due to bone-conducted sound.
• Methods: Measurements at the outer ear and tympanic membrane will be taken using the AudioScan probe tube system.