Preserving the hearing health of music students: From exploring the risks of noise overexposure to prevention strategies

Primary Objective: In this pilot project, in the short term, we propose to explore the risks associated with noise overexposure in music practice, to test innovative prevention strategies and to develop an auditory assessment protocol that responds to the specific or expressed needs of musicians and to test its feasibility (e.g. duration, number of sessions, satisfaction) on a small number of musicians. In the long term, the ultimate goal of the project is to implement a program to promote the hearing health and well-being of musicians and music industry professionals by adopting an ecological approach to health promotion with action on the determinants of health, including prevention, early identification and rehabilitation.Our field of investigation will be the Faculty of Music at the University of Montreal, which has close to 600 students majoring in different musical disciplines and styles (classical and jazz performance, composition and sound design). Our hypothesis is that music students have a low level of knowledge of the phenomenon of hearing loss, despite the awareness-raising activities offered to them in the context of acoustics, psychoacoustics and musicians’ body health courses. They would still adopt bad habits, presenting a stigma related to preventive measures.

Faculty Supervisor:

Adriana Lacerda

Student:

Partner:

Tuiuti University of Paraná

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Health and Related Sciences & Technology; Education; Information and Communications Technology

University:

Université de Montréal

Program: