Weeklong Noise Exposure of 100 College Students Who Participate in Music Activities

Musicians are routinely exposed to sound levels that place them at risk of hearing loss. Although the dangers of sound overexposure from music are well-known, less is known about which specific types of music activities contribute to this risk. Past study indicated that college musicians experience potentially hazardous sound levels during both musical and nonmusical activities. We now expand this line of investigation to a larger dataset to subtype musicians (based on instrument, ensemble type and number, and music-major status) and capture a wide array of musical engagement (total years of training, total hours of music engagement during the week).

Descriptive study of college musicians with hearing thresholds <25 dB HL combining personal noise dosimetry, daily activity diaries, and musician subtyping.

The college musicians in our sample showed a wide range of average daily sound exposure, spanning from 2 to 1638% of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health daily recommended exposure limit dose. It is important to note that ~70% of the cohort's average daily sound exposure exceeded the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health recommended exposure limit dose. We found that total years of musical training did not predict daily dose, but weekly hours of music activities did. When subtyping musicians, we found that music majors and nonmajors experienced similar average daily sound exposure; that brass and woodwind players tended to experience more sound exposure than string musicians; that musicians in multiple ensembles experienced more sound exposure than those in only one ensemble; and that musicians in band ensembles experienced more sound exposure than those in orchestral ensembles. The musician subtypes at lowest risk were vocalists and string players. Musicians who engaged in more hours of musical activity during the week experienced higher levels of sound exposure. Marching band members were more likely to engage in high-sound-intensity nonmusic activities compared with music majors. But even within different musician subpopulations, average daily sound exposure varied across individuals and the type and extent of music engagement accounted for only about half of the variance in average daily sound exposure.

The college musicians in this sample varied widely in their sound exposure profiles. Musician subtype accounted for some of this variation, as did total hours of music engagement. However, neither variable captured the full range observed. As such, relying on musician subtype or total hours of engagement as a proxy measure for exposure could lead to erroneous conclusions about risk at the individual level. This finding highlights the need for individualized sound-exposure assessment to evaluate risk and provide appropriate recommendations to musicians to maintain their hearing health.