EXPERT ROUNDTABLE: Music & Hearing Loss | February 2017 Hearing Review

Introduction to Special Issue

Bruce Raeburn, curator of the Hogan Jazz Archive at Tulane University. The authors and The Hearing Review thank Raeburn and the Archive for these and other photographs used in this Expert Roundtable feature.

Bruce Raeburn, curator of the Hogan Jazz Archive at Tulane University. The authors and The Hearing Review thank Raeburn and the Archive for these and other photographs used in this Expert Roundtable feature.

On February 26, 1917, the first jazz recording was pressed for the Victor record label, featuring the Original Dixieland “Jass” Band’s Dixie Jass One Step and Livery Stable Blues. The record was released 3 months later, and represented what might be viewed as a seminal moment in music—the far-reaching influence of jazz recordings have changed music and musicians forever after.

The Edison phonograph was a technological marvel of its time, opening up the world of music for the masses.

The Edison phonograph was a technological marvel of its time, opening up the world of music for the masses.

The following Expert Roundtable celebrates those changes, and also acknowledges what might be thought of as the unintended consequences of that momentous change: louder music and music-induced hearing loss. The authors were asked to write their article with this theme in mind: How have things changed (or not) between 1917 and 2017? We have assembled seven brief articles:

  1. An overview of the acoustical revolution made possible by Jazz is provided by Bethany Ewald Bultman, including how jazz changed many of the ways musicians were situated on stage, and repercussions for musicians’ hearing.
  2. Long-time NIOSH research audiologist Mark Stephenson, PhD, provides a perspective on how our current hearing conservation guidelines and standards came into being.
  3. A historical perspective on earplugs for musicians, as well as resources for the conservation of musicians’ hearing, is offered by audiologist Patricia Johnson, AuD, of Etymotic Research.
  4. ENT physician Kenneth Einhorn, MD, looks at ear infections over the ages—the ever-present scourge of kids and adults alike.
  5. The promotion of safe listening levels for musicians and music-lovers—and attitudes that need to be overcome—are detailed by John Hutchings, MD, of Louisiana State University and the New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic and co-author Bethany Ewald Bultman.

    An early Jazz recording by the Brunies Brothers Dixieland Jazz Band  from the American Music Co of New Orleans.

    An early Jazz recording by the Brunies Brothers Dixieland Jazz Band from the American Music Co of New Orleans.

  6. Marshall Chasin, AuD, shows why temporary threshold shift (TTS) following exposure to loud music can no longer be considered a benign audiometric condition.
  7. Well known music executive-turned-hearing-conservation-advocate Dan Beck asks “Have we really come that far?”

As Dan notes, we have a long way to go in educating the public about safe hearing and music. Arguably, it has taken us almost 100 years to address in a concerted manner—with significant resources—the potential perils of loud music and safe hearing. However, it is the authors’ hope that, in the next 100 years, we will transform music listening and conserving one’s hearing into a more harmonious mix that melds enjoyment with a lifetime of healthy hearing habits.

About this Month’s Guest Editors:

Marshall Chasin, AuD

Marshall Chasin, AuD

Marshall Chasin, AuD, is an audiologist and the Director of Auditory Research at the Musicians’ Clinics of Canada, Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto, and Associate Professor in the School of Communication Disorders and Sciences at the Western University, as well as a member of The Hearing Review Editorial Advisory Board. The author of over 200 articles and 7 books, including “Musicians and the Prevention of Hearing Loss,” he is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

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Bethany Ewald Bultman

Bethany Ewald Bultman is the Co-founding Director of the New Orleans Musicians Clinic and Assistance Foundation. She is a cultural anthropologist by training who is the author of six books ranging in topics from the ethno cultural history of the Gulf South to the culinary history of New Orleans.

Dan Beck

Dan Beck

Dan Beck is Trustee of the Music Industries Music Performance Trust Fund, providing free, live music in schools, hospitals, senior centers, and other public venues. Beck is a long-time entertainment marketing executive, developing strategic plans for many major recording artists. He has been active in hearing conservation as the producer of the “Listen Smart” educational film and as a Board member of H.E.A.R. (Hearing Education & Awareness for Rockers).

Citation for this article: Chasin M, Bultman BE, Beck D. Expert roundtable: Music & hearing on the 100th anniversary of recorded jazz.

 

MORE ARTICLES IN THIS SERIES…

Expert Roundtable: Music & Hearing (February 2017 Hearing Review)

Expert Roundtable: Music & Hearing on the 100th Anniversary of Recorded Jazz, By Marshall Chasin, AuD, Bethany Ewald Bultman, and Dan Beck, Guest-editors

Jazz: An Acoustical Revolution, By Bethany Ewald Bultman

The Evolution of Hearing Conservation Guidelines and Standards in the United States, By Mark Stephenson, PhD

A Historical Perspective on Hearing Protection, By Patricia A. Johnson, AuD

Ear Infections Over the Ages, By Kenneth Einhorn, MD

Promoting Safe Sounds in the Birth City of American Music, By John J. Hutchings, MD, and Bethany Ewald Bultman

Temporary Threshold Shift (TTS) Is NOT So Temporary, By Marshall Chasin, AuD

Have We Really Come That Far? By Dan Beck