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PARENTAL GUIDE TO AVOIDING HEARING DAMAGE FROM BAND PARTICIPATION

Roughly 6 million teens in the United States suffer some type of loss of hearing, and this number has risen dramatically over the last twenty years. In addition to the use of high-volume MP3 players and mobile phones, authorities say that teenagers’ involvement in marching band is another possible reason for damage to hearing. Marching band is a favorite activity for teenagers, as bands are available in almost all large high schools and in virtually every university. Harmful sound levels for teens. Noise levels are measured in decibels, also written as dB. Children and adults can suffer hearing loss from exposure to sounds over 85 dB. Marching band includes a variety of instruments, some of

which easily cross over that threshold during rehearsals and performances. An experiment at Duke University showed that a drumline rehearsal exposed students to decibel levels of 99 over a 30-minute period. What can be even more damaging than playing those instruments on the field is playing indoors for rehearsals. Sometimes teens don’t want to reduce the volume of their instruments just because

they are inside. Strategies for hearing protection and hearing loss prevention. An effective solution for reducing sound levels is the use of musicians earplugs. Musicians earplugs are custom-designed to fit an individual’s ear perfectly. However, parents often find them to be expensive. Shorter rehearsal sessions are another good approach to protecting teens hearing, because it breaks up the time for which they are exposed to potentially damaging decibel levels. Increased awareness among teens and bandleaders of the importance of reducing instrument sound levels when playing indoors is also key. To best protect the hearing of marching band members, a joint effort between students, band leaders, and parents is recommended.