Hear in Kentucky Hearing Centers KY | 502-324-1103 | http://www.hearinkentucky.com/ Discover more great content here: https://www.facebook.com/HearInKentuckyHearingCenters https://twitter.com/Hearinky http://www.youtube.com/user/hearinkentucky http://www.pinterest.com/hearinkentucky Marching Band Musicians are at Very High Risk for Hearing Around six million American teens have some type of hearing loss, which signifies an increase of approximately 33 % over the last twenty years. In addition to the use of high-volume MP3 players and mobile phones, authorities say that teenagers’ participation in marching band is another possible cause of damage to hearing. Marching band is a popular activity for teenagers, as bands are available in almost all large high schools and in almost every university. Hazardous sound levels for teens.Noise levels are measured in decibels, also written as dB. Adults and children can suffer hearing loss from exposure to sounds in excess of 85 dB. Some of the instruments in marching band can easily surpass the 85dB mark when the teens are practicing or performing. For example, Duke University students were exposed to decibel levels of 99 over a half hour during drumline practice. However, playing those instruments indoors for rehearsals can be even more harmful to teens’ hearing. Unfortunately, many youths don’t reduce the volume of their instruments when playing inside. Strategies for hearing protection and hearing loss prevention. Musicians earplugs are effective at reducing the sound levels that reach the inner ear. Musicians earplugs are custom-designed to fit an individual’s ear perfectly. Musicians earplugs can be expensive, which may be a problem for parents. Another effective strategy for protecting young people’s hearing is to reduce

Marching Band Musicians are at Very High Risk for Hearing

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Page 1: Marching Band Musicians are at Very High Risk for Hearing

Hear in Kentucky Hearing Centers KY | 502-324-1103 | http://www.hearinkentucky.com/

Discover more great content here: https://www.facebook.com/HearInKentuckyHearingCenters

https://twitter.com/Hearinky http://www.youtube.com/user/hearinkentucky

http://www.pinterest.com/hearinkentucky

Marching Band Musicians are at Very High Risk for Hearing Around six million American teens have some type of hearing loss, which signifies an increase of approximately 33 % over the last twenty years. In addition to the use of high-volume MP3 players and mobile phones, authorities say that teenagers’ participation in marching band is another possible cause of damage to hearing. Marching band is a popular activity for teenagers, as bands are available in almost all large high schools and in almost every university. Hazardous sound levels for teens.Noise levels are measured in decibels, also written as dB. Adults and children can suffer hearing loss from exposure to sounds in excess of 85 dB. Some of the instruments in marching band can easily surpass the 85dB mark when the teens are practicing or performing. For example, Duke University students were exposed to decibel levels of 99 over a half hour during drumline practice. However, playing those instruments indoors for rehearsals can be even more harmful to teens’ hearing. Unfortunately, many youths don’t reduce the volume of their instruments when playing inside. Strategies for hearing protection and hearing loss prevention. Musicians earplugs are effective at reducing the sound levels that reach the inner ear. Musicians earplugs are custom-designed to fit an individual’s ear perfectly. Musicians earplugs can be expensive, which may be a problem for parents. Another effective strategy for protecting young people’s hearing is to reduce

Page 2: Marching Band Musicians are at Very High Risk for Hearing

Hear in Kentucky Hearing Centers KY | 502-324-1103 | http://www.hearinkentucky.com/

Discover more great content here: https://www.facebook.com/HearInKentuckyHearingCenters

https://twitter.com/Hearinky http://www.youtube.com/user/hearinkentucky

http://www.pinterest.com/hearinkentucky

the length of time they are exposed to potentially harmful sound levels by breaking up the rehearsals into shorter sessions. Band leaders and participants also need to be aware of how important it is to lower the volume of their instruments when practicing indoors. Parents, teens, and band leaders should work together to increase awareness and to implement strategies for protecting the hearing of marching band members.