The 47th Conference is, perhaps, the first time researchers and practitioners in music, audio and hearing sciences are gathering to discuss their common concerns and efforts to reduce the incidence and/or severity of music-induced hearing disorders.
This presentation will introduce attendees to the common language, knowledge and mindset of our three aurally aware groups. By understanding how musicians, audio engineers and audiologists work with and think about, music, sound and hearing physiology, we can all learn better strategies for promoting awareness of hearing disorders in each of our "cultures".
As many of us know, it's not enough to tell someone they are putting themselves at risk. They need to understand and care enough about themselves to want protection.
The Hearing Conservation Workshop, now in its fifth year, is a touring seminar designed to teach hearing physiology and awareness to musicians and audio engineers. Another version, for those in the hearing sciences, teaches new perspectives on hearing, from the perspective of music and the arts rather than the tradition of speech communication. To date, 50 seminars have been delivered to university programs in music, audio and audiology, professional organizations in audio and the hearing sciences, public health foundations, and the military.
The success of The Workshop has proven that, once taught how their hearing works (and how it breaks), engineers and musicians develop a sense of "ownership" of their ears, and become concerned about their hearing health. Similarly, presentations to the audiology community provide new perspectives on physiology, patient relations and a better understanding of audio, as it works in entertainment media, as well as hearing aid and conservation technology.
