Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

ORCID

https://orcid.org/0009-0009-1161-639X

Date of Graduation

5-11-2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Music (MM)

Department

School of Music

Advisor(s)

William Dabback

Melissa Garber

Alice Hammel

Abstract

The purpose of this descriptive research study was to investigate the self-reported contexts and effects of concert band noise exposure on the high school band director using an interactive biopsychosocial framework. Primary data for this inquiry were collected from a self- reporting web-based survey with 167 participants who had at least three years of experience teaching in the high school band setting. The survey was divided into five categories which included demographics, band program size and weekly class schedule, design of the main work environment, perceptions of their hearing abilities, and hearing protection & preventative measures. Results indicated that 60% of the participants felt that their exposure to concert bands contributed to their potential hearing loss. Of the participants, 62% of participants had never worn ear protection when teaching in the concert band setting.

Based on the results of this study, some of the implications for professional practice include the call for high school band directors to strongly consider wearing active hearing protection while teaching in the concert band setting as noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is not reversible. High school band directors should also advocate for modifications in their teaching schedules to give their hearing mechanisms a rest. Band directors should also consider measuring the sound of their teaching environment using a reliable instrument to see if they are eligible for a hearing conservation program.

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