Fr. Andrew Posted June 29, 2016 Share Posted June 29, 2016 (edited) I have been a long time sufferer of tinnitus - the constant ringing in the ears for which there is no known cure. You learn to live with it and as I grow older I am becoming more active in protecting my hearing. I have been a DCI fan for going on six years and I have had a growing concern about the exposure of drum corps shows on hearing. Listening to numerous podcasts and reading forum posts about the health of drum corps performers auditory health did come up in discussions. I am happy to see that corps are now addressing this issue and I am seeing performers wearing hearing protection. What about the spectators in the stands? During my travels I listen to drum corps related podcasts and I discovered a new company that caters hearing protection to performers Etymotic Research. It wasn't until my audiologist gave me a free set of Etymotic earplugs that I decided to check out what they have to offer. In addition to various types of hearing protection for different situations Etymotic offers a personal noise dosimeter that will measure cumulative exposure. A more costlier version allows connection to a computer to download and interpret data. So with my new toy (medical device for tax purposes) I decided to see if there is a danger for the spectator. In the dosimeter manual Etymotic provides the following table based on National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) standards. So far I have been to two performances, the DCI Tour Premiere on June 23, 2016 in the cinema and Innovations in Brass: Pittsburgh on June 28, 2016. Here are the results. DCI Tour Premier - June 23, 2016 Innovations in Brass: Pittsburgh - June 28, 2016 BOTTOM LINE: Total exposure on June 23, 2016 was 14.7% Total exposure on June 28, 2016 was 109% or 1.09 times the daily dose. This occurred during a two hour period. Hearing protection needed. I did wear hearing protection during the performance. Yes it is a little muffled but I can still hear the high licks of the sopranos and the deep bass of the battery and I plan on keeping my hearing as long as possible. I will continue to post results from others show I attend. I plan to be in Allentown this Thursday June 30 and at DCA: Red, White and Brass on Saturday July 2 in Ijamsville, MD. Edited June 29, 2016 by Fr. Andrew 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phan_of_Drumming Posted June 29, 2016 Share Posted June 29, 2016 I'm curious as to where you were seated during the live performance. I would imagine anyone sitting in the low seats would require hearing protection, but if you were seated up top near the press box of even a medium-sized stadium, I would be shocked if you got the same numbers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fr. Andrew Posted June 29, 2016 Author Share Posted June 29, 2016 For the Pittsburgh show I was on the 50 about three quarters of the way up in a high school football stadium, so location, location, location. I am sure results will vary depending on the venue, seating location, etc. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlamMan Posted June 29, 2016 Share Posted June 29, 2016 (edited) Is there an epidemic of deaf drum corps alumnus walking around? I don't know 1 single person who marched or who played in rock bands who has hearing problems. I suppose some people are more at risk to develop problems than others, but in the 1970's we blasted our ears every single day with either drum corps, headphones, concerts, etc... I can't for the life of me understand how a drum corp marching member can play with ear plugs in. How can you clearly hear your fellow drummers & horn players? Edited June 29, 2016 by FlamMan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted June 29, 2016 Share Posted June 29, 2016 (edited) I don't know 1 single person who marched or who played in rock bands who has hearing problems. I have hearing loss... Doc says combination of indoor practicing in enclosed halls, military explosions, and increasing age played a role ( also genetics). The numbers of Rock Musicians that have suffered some degree of hearing loss as a result of long term, excessive high decibels crammed into their heating canal is numerous. The fact that you don't know this does not mean they arn't out there. They are. Also, the sheer numbers of rock musicians ( heck, even musicians of all genres ) that now utilize ear plugs should tell you how convinced they are by the plethora of scientific data of the undeniable long term damage to their hearing that repetitive and excessive decibels into their hearing canal can pose to their future hearing abilities. Edited June 29, 2016 by BRASSO 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted June 29, 2016 Share Posted June 29, 2016 Be careful with interpreting data from a new toy. Much more goes into evaluating levels of db protection required than just looking at the one aspect of your results. For example all of the following info must also be considered: Amount of continuous time ears were exposed to sound levels above 90db; Amount of time exposed to the max sound produced; Any immediate spikes of short bursts above 140 db; Amount of continuous rest time the ears received at or below 60 db; etc...; So, my advice would be show the entire data collected to a certified audiologist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu Posted June 29, 2016 Share Posted June 29, 2016 Is there an epidemic of deaf drum corps alumnus walking around? I don't know 1 single person who marched or who played in rock bands who has hearing problems. I suppose some people are more at risk to develop problems than others, but in the 1970's we blasted our ears every single day with either drum corps, headphones, concerts, etc... I can't for the life of me understand how a drum corp marching member can play with ear plugs in. How can you clearly hear your fellow drummers & horn players? If these people can hear you, tell them that there is not a hearing loss problem with musicians: Phil Collins, Eric Clapton, Pete Townsend, Jeff Beck, Neal Young, George Martin, Will I Am, Brian Wilson, etc..., I have hearing loss due to playing rim-shots which exceeded 140 db in short bursts. Also, please do a google search on the medical journals which have documented hearing loss by musicians. As for playing with earplugs, the company Etymotic has developed musician ear plugs that attenuate sound 30 db on a level natural curve; once you have them in they are extremely comfortable, the sound is not muffled but merely less loud and just as clear as not having them in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phan_of_Drumming Posted June 29, 2016 Share Posted June 29, 2016 (edited) Is there an epidemic of deaf drum corps alumnus walking around? I don't know 1 single person who marched or who played in rock bands who has hearing problems. I suppose some people are more at risk to develop problems than others, but in the 1970's we blasted our ears every single day with either drum corps, headphones, concerts, etc... I can't for the life of me understand how a drum corp marching member can play with ear plugs in. How can you clearly hear your fellow drummers & horn players? It's actually far easier to hear drummers next to you with earplugs in. Less ambient/background noise - more attack sound. You only hear the stuff you need, not the rest that gets in the way (and also damages your ears). And I think if you went to an audiologist and got a real test, you would be quite surprised how much of your upper-frequency hearing has disappeared. I know kids who lose the top 3-5% of their upper range after just high school, let alone drum corps. Some of that is age, to be sure, but when someone has lost 50% more hearing in one ear than the other (and they stood on the end of a snare line, for example) you know it's real. Edited June 29, 2016 by Phan_of_Drumming Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRASSO Posted June 29, 2016 Share Posted June 29, 2016 (edited) One of the good things about DCP, is that when someone posts something that is clearly not true ( Musicians and hearing loss in this case ), we have the scientific, verifiable data to hopefully set them and others on here straight with the facts. Fact.... musicians in general have a much higher risk of hearing loss by virtue of their chosen occupation, than the general public. This is why musicians, in particular, must take even extra precautiions to protect their heating that is FOUR TIMES the risk of loss compared to the general population at large that are not musicians. Source : http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/turn-it-musicians-run-far-higher-risk-hearing-loss-n93981 Edited June 29, 2016 by BRASSO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwillis35 Posted June 29, 2016 Share Posted June 29, 2016 I've been going to live shows since 1979. I've been a marching band director (as well as college professor, director of bands), and only recently (about 2 years ago) I began to get a little ringing in my left ear. I am 51 now, so for 37 years now I've been in front of corps and bands. I'd say after 34 of those is when the continuous ringing finally crept in. It's not horrible, and I can live with it, but I know longer look for the middle section, mid way up sweet spot for volume and projection when it comes to tickets. I think each fan, marching member, and/or director/staff member needs to know their body and routinely have their hearing checked as they get older. It is unlikely to have much of an effect on younger folks. There are exceptions. But as you get into your 40s I do advise having your hearing checked and taking precautions when necessary. If you still love drum corps but don't want to be in harms way anymore, I advise buying seats on the 20s or 30s and sitting as high as possible. While not optimal, it's still fun, and you're still supporting the activity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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