Sound, music, and hearing have always been a big part of my life. As a lifelong musician, I value my hearing a lot. After playing music on stage at high volume for more than 15 years, I experienced a nasty tinnitus scare. This led me to begin looking into how to protect my hearing. These steps included reducing each member’s volume as well as the overall stage volume so we were able to hear ourselves with less volume. Eventually, with the adoption of in-ear monitors (IEMs) across the band to manage volume on stage and to isolate our own channels (from the drums, especially), I was able to protect my hearing more, and the tinnitus eventually became manageable. This experience led me to realise the importance of protecting my hearing as well …show more content…
I found the presentations very interesting and relevant to my interests. I decided to continue to attend such events to further my insight into the field of audiology. Thanks to my friends Kimberly Soh and Dr. Neo Hong Jie, as well as Dr. Jenny Loo, I was able to visit the Department of Otolaryngology at NUH and shadow audiologists such as Dr. Jenny, Mr. Alan Tseng and Ms. Chin Ee Ling and audio technicians such as Ms. Fion Chua. The cases I observed included young and elderly patients and a wide range of diagnostic techniques and equipment. I observed a variety of tasks carried out by audiologists, including performing hearing tests on children of different ages (and the different methods of doing so), hearing assessments of adults, tuning of hearing aids, and financial assistance consultations for hearing aids. Additionally, in 2017, I attended the Audiology Open Day at NUS as well as Music to Your Ears: What Every Musician Needs To Know About How The Ear Works and Breaks at YST. I am also helping out with a current student’s project (the one using AmbicitiSG), which is opening my eyes to the presence – and sometimes danger – of ambient noise levels throughout
At a young age, I witnessed my younger brother lodge an eraser in his ear and later have it removed by a doctor. A year later he had tubes inserted and a year or so after that, I saw those tubes fall out of his head. Besides thinking that my younger brother was really a robot with metal parts falling out of his brain, it was where my fascination of the human ear began. Since then I’ve helped my grandfather and father with their hearing aids, especially replacing the small batteries which was difficult for their large farmers’ hands. I’ve also observed my older sister, an Audiologist in California, for two weeks as she worked with patients, letting me do hearing aid cleanings, help with sales, file patient records, observe ear molds being
Technology nowadays is getting more and more dangerous, especially to our ears. Every day we are subjected to videos, text sounds, alert sounds, alarms, and anything else that may be of use in life. These sounds seem to be happening more often which is damaging our ears. There is a solution to this damage though, and that is cochlear implants. These implants will bypass the damaged part of your ear to give you a sense of sound that can be made very useful to the patient. This paper will look into how the ear works, how hearing loss happens, why these cochlear implants are a good solution, how these implants work, cost and ethics related to these implants, and what the future holds for them.
“Music is perpetual, and only the hearing is intermittent,” wrote the iconic American essayist, poet and philosopher Henry David Thoreau, a lofty proclamation that inspired my focus to help those with hearing loss through restoration. After a winding journey in search for an academic focus, I discovered that audiology is far more than just aiding deaf or hard of hearing individuals, but restoring balance, managing loss through therapy, and discovering new research techniques that may involve auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder. After arriving at my destination, I also learned that it is my responsibility as a future audiologist to be a leader, to work hard toward achieving a better future for myself, and a better world for humanity at large. This vision drives my aspiration to join the University of South Florida’s graduate audiology program this coming fall, and continue my examination of clinical audiology as a member of your community.
Most people are familiar with the word "music", however they barely consider the definition of it. After carefully think, everyone has their own opinions on this term and it is hard to have an uniform criterion of music sounds. According to the text book, Michael B. Bakan states five propositions to define the music. The first one is about the tone and the second one talks about the music is organized in some way. The next two are claims that music is human organized and a product of human intention and perception. The last proposition argues music cannot separate from Western culture. Among these propositions, I think the music is a product of human intention and perception is most interesting and worth to discuss. So I assert that the most
Throughout our day to day lives we are exposed to many sounds such as the sound of traffic, coversation, TV, nature and music. More often than not these sounds that we experience are at a low safe level, levels that will not affect or harm our hearing. Unfortunatley when we are exposed to sound levels that are too high or loud sounds over a long period of time there is a chance that the delicate inner workings of the ear can be permanatly damaged. This is known as noise induced hearing loss (NIHL)
...sation. This is causing audiologists in the future to pursue careers in research, military audiology, and academia, instead of private practice. However, since hearing loss is associated with aging, individuals continually demand services from audiologists. Also, members of the baby boomer generation are all now seeking services from audiologists. It is projected that the profession of audiology is to grow approximately 37% within the next few years, and the field is to continue expanding.
What I found most interesting about Jarashow’s presentation were the two opposing views: Deaf culture versus medical professionals. Within the Deaf culture, they want to preserve their language and identity. The Deaf community wants to flourish and grow and do not view being deaf as a disability or being wrong. Jarashow stated that the medical field labels Deaf people as having a handicap or being disabled because they cannot hear. Those who are Deaf feel as though medical professionals are trying to eliminate them and relate it to eugenics. It is perceived that those in that field are trying to fix those who are Deaf and eliminate them by making them conform to a hearing world. Those within the Deaf community seem to be unhappy with devices such
Hearing loss is a major global public health issue. Hearnet (2017) defines hearing loss as “a disability that occurs when one or more parts of the ear and/or the parts of the brain that make up the hearing pathway do not function normally” (para. 1). There are many different types of hearing loss, which can have multiple causes, giving each individual experiencing the issue a unique hearing loss case. These types include Auditory Processing Disorders, when the brain has problems processing sound information; Conductive Hearing Loss, a problem with the outer or middle ear which prevents sound making its way to the inner ear; and Sensorineural Hearing Loss, when the Cochlea or auditory nerve is damaged and cannot
I was trusted, at my audiology placement, to explain the results of audiograms, counsel patients and caregivers about their hearing aids during the initial fittings and follow-up appointments, and to inform about various strategies to improve communication. Spending time with clients, making them feel at ease, and assisting with their inquiries in person and on the phone was a responsibility I enjoyed immensely. The Audiologist commented
When a hearing loss is detected in a child, an array of reactions may follow. If the parents or guardian decide the appropriate route for their child is a cochlear implant, they must be made aware of the commitment and motivation necessary for the aural rehabilitation process. It is vital for the family, and even the child (dependent on age), understand that undergoing a cochlear implant will not automatically fix or restore the hearing loss. Cochlear implants are just the beginning of a long, yet hopefully rewarding journey that involves the child, his/her caregivers, and the entire health care team, as well as any individual who comes into contact with this child. Everyone in the child’s surrounding must focus on aural rehabilitation immediately post implantation. A service described by ASHA to include “training in auditory perception, using visual cues, improving speech, developing language, managing communication, and managing hearing aids and assistive listening devices” (ASHA). This vague description gives way to many different strategies, and subsequently leads to countless studies intended to determine which are most successful.
On the other hand, the Kendall Support Services Team (2003) indicates that FM hearing aids allow children to hear at the same volume regardless of where they are seated. In fact, FM systems may cover over 100 feet and are portable (Colorado Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing). These systems require teachers to wear microphones and students to wear special hearing aids (Kendall Support Services Team, 2003). Similarly, soundfield systems amplify the instructor’s voice, not only for the deaf students, but for the w...
In a waiting room, you have to endure several forms of torture. The most prominent of these is the music they play. The music is too quiet, so the patients can barely to hear it in the silence, meaning if you cough, or make any form of noise, you are worried people will pay more attention to you and j...
Music is one of the few things that has remained constant through the centuries this world has existed. Not only does music provide entertainment, it also has several effects linked to it. Music allows emotions of happiness and sadness to arise. From those emotions, physical effects, negative or positive, can occur. Music has a profound effect on the emotional, social, intellectual, and physical aspects of a person.
At the age of ten, my parents decided that I should learn how to play an instrument. In addition, they also chose which instrument I should learn, the guitar. I had no interest in learning the guitar, because all I wanted to spend my leisure time on was improvising my soccer skills. However, my parents believed soccer was a waste of my precious time, time which I should be using to focus on school and expanding my brain by taking on a difficult task, such as learning to play music. This was contrary to what I believed, but I had to do it or else my parents would be displeased. Therefore, the following week, I began taking guitar lessons.
For this assignment, our class was instructed to spend two to three days with impaired hearing. To do this, I obtained some regular green foam ear plugs and wore them while going about my daily routine. The plugs gave me a decent 30dB loss in my “mid” and “upper” frequencies. At first, I did not see how it would be possible to walk around with ear plugs in all day. I started to think what my other instructors would think, but being an audio arts and acoustics major, most hardly batted an eye. Truthfully, I thought I would put my plugs in when I wanted to jot notes down for my journal, but that was not the case. My ears became acclimated to the loss and I could keep them in for most the day. The purpose of this exercise was to reinforce the point our professor had been teaching us all semester; living with hearing impairment is possible, but incredibly challenging.