Rehearsal Sound Exposure and Choir Singers' Hearing: A Pilot Field Study

Area of Science:

• Occupational health
• Audiology
• Music performance science

Background:

• Professional singers face inevitable high- and moderate-intensity sound exposure during rehearsals.
• The impact of self-produced sound on singers' hearing in rehearsal settings remains under-examined.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of data collection for studying singers' hearing.
• To conduct preliminary hypothesis testing on hearing changes in singers within their rehearsal environment.

Main Methods:

• 18 professional choir singers participated in the pilot field study.
• Pure Tone Audiometry was used to measure hearing thresholds before, immediately after, and 24 hours post-rehearsal.
• The study aimed to evaluate hearing threshold changes following routine rehearsal sound exposure.

Main Results:

• No definitive temporary threshold shift (TTS) was identified in the singers under the study conditions.
• A mean temporary threshold shift of 3.61 dB was observed in the right ear at 3000 Hz, which was higher than the recovery threshold shift (P = 0.06).
• This subtle finding suggests a potential area for future research.

Conclusions:

• Methodological challenges included dynamic rehearsal conditions, environmental and musical influences, and estimating sound intensity.
• The feasibility of data collection in this setting was explored.
• Further research is recommended to investigate the potential impact of rehearsal sound exposure on singers' hearing.