Performing artists need to protect their hearing health for the sake of their well-being as well as their artistic careers. For many performing artists, sound perception lies at the heart of their ability to create music, dance, or tell stories through dialogue and acting.
Rehearsing and performing can pose hearing health risks for performing artists, especially musicians playing in orchestras or using amplification, due to high levels and long durations of sound exposure. Overexposure to loud sounds throughout the day can lead to temporary hearing loss, which, according to U-M audiologist Dr. Allie Heckman, can “impact communication and pitch perception” and “cause tinnitus.” In some cases, temporary hearing loss from exposure to loud sounds can become permanent, negatively impacting performing artists’ physical and mental health. Another unfortunate outcome of loud sound exposure, according to Heckman, can be the distortion of sounds in everyday situations. The good news is that these issues are preventable through educational efforts on limiting loud sound exposure, hearing screenings, and use of hearing protection.
An SMTD student wears an earplug provided during an SMTD hearing health clinic. Photo: Chris Boyes
Since the winter 2018 semester, the Wellness Program at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance (SMTD) has partnered with Michigan Audiology and Wayne State University’s doctoral audiology program to support hearing health by providing hearing health clinics. This program aims to provide SMTD students, faculty, and staff with valuable education concerning their hearing health through free hearing screenings, consultations, and earplug fittings. Dr. Bruce Edwards, retired audiologist with Michigan Medicine, noted that getting a hearing screening helps remind participants of the importance of taking care of their hearing. The information that students and others receive as part of these educational efforts adds to the knowledge base of the entire SMTD community.
The SMTD Wellness Program facilitates and hosts the clinics onsite in the Earl V. Moore Building and the Walgreen Drama Center. Heckman and Edwards train Wayne State University doctoral audiology students to provide screenings, one-on-one consultations, and earplug fittings, giving them the opportunity to enhance their skills during the clinics, under direct supervision. This partnership serves as a valuable educational opportunity for audiology students and expands SMTD’s capacity to screen more students by having more available appointments. A thorough evaluation is important, yet with busy students, efficiency is key so that they can quickly return to class or rehearsal.
An SMTD student undergoes a hearing screening conducted by Wayne State University students during one of the SMTD hearing health clinics. Photo: Chris Boyes
The hearing health clinics are among the most sought-after services of the SMTD Wellness Program. In response to the high level of need for these clinics, the team has tripled their appointment capacity with an expansion from one clinic per term to three. Additionally, the program has been able to offer free earplug fittings and non-custom mold earplugs since 2022. Heckman stated, “What makes our efforts at providing these non-custom earplugs special is our use of technology that helps us see precisely what the reduction in the ear is in real time and how best to get that result. It’s all done in a minute or two while you sit in front of a speaker and a monitor!”
The clinics are open to SMTD students, faculty, and staff, who register in advance for a 20-minute appointment. Registrants must first fill out an online questionnaire collecting information about hearing health and complete a tinnitus screening. The appointment itself involves a pure tone hearing and otoacoustic emission screening (a test that checks the inner ear’s response to sound), one-on-one counseling to discuss screening results, discussion of at-risk status, recommendations for follow-up, and an earplug fitting for the free earplugs.
An SMTD student is fitted for an earplug during one of the SMTD hearing health clinics. Photo: Chris Boyes
In November 2021, the team published their findings on the effectiveness of the partnership in the MTNA e-Journal. Notably, the team recognized a continued need for this program’s hearing health and prevention education. They note that overexposure to sound for musicians of all ages can “cause irreversible changes to the physical microstructure of the ear and permanent hearing loss.” The team has also engaged in ongoing educational programming, including in-person presentations, the development of Wellness Guides, and videos available on the SMTD Wellness YouTube playlist.
It is essential for a performing arts institution to support its community’s hearing health to ensure the longevity of its constituents’ careers. The program at SMTD stands as a model of a successful partnership between SMTD’s Wellness Program, Michigan Audiology, and Wayne State University.
Cristina Gonzalez, who graduated in 2024 with a BMA in voice performance and a BA in psychology, serves as the editor for the SMTD Wellness Program’s Performing Well blog. Paola Savvidou is the SMTD Wellness Program manager and a Lecturer III in wellness.
References
Savvidou, Paola, Bruce Edwards, Allie Heckman, Annie Jeng, and Samantha Kesteloot. “Musicians’ Hearing Conservation: Establishing Preventive Measures at the Collegiate Level through a Partnership Model.” MTNA e-Journal (November 2021): 16–31.
Dr. Edwards’s Hearing Health Fun Facts
- The number one cause of hearing loss is exposure to excessively loud sounds (85 decibels or higher).
- You do not need to clean the wax out of your ears unless you have an abnormal condition. Ears push the excess wax out as required.
- Snakes hear through their jawbone, and fish hear through ridges on their body, because neither have physical ears.
- Bones in the middle ear, the ossicles, are the smallest in the human body and fit easily on your fingernail.