Turning the Music up to 11: Addressing the Hearing Healthcare & Performance Needs of the Professional Musician and Audiophile (.3 CEUs)

Wednesday, August 24, 2016; 1:00 - 4:00 PM ET

Presenter: Presented by Melissa E. Heche, AuD

CEUs: .3/Tier 1

Duration: 3 hour

Who Should Attend: Hearing Healthcare Professionals

Instructional Level: Intermediate
Program Focus: Knowledge

Learner Outcomes: Upon completion, each participant in the eAudiology Web seminar will be able to:

1.Identify and recognize the Audiologist's role in ensuring hearing protection of the professional musician.

2.Differentiate the various types of musical genres and the varying needs of the working musician in each genre.

3.Describe the general configuration and arrangement of a live sound reinforcement system and how it relates to musician's hearing protection products.

4.Describe the general configuration and arrangement of an In-the-Ear monitor in live and recording music venues to best provide the necessary response to the musician performing.

5.Identify differences in needs between professional musicians, avocational musicians and audiophiles

Description: Musicians often have a reduced understanding of the long-term effects of their professional choices regarding exposure. The professional musician demonstrates a variety of needs based upon their rehearsal/performance space, the genre of music and the other instruments with whom he/she is playing. However the most important need of the musician – hearing protection – is often overlooked. Further, when hearing protection is a concern, musicians often display improper and ineffective employment of strategies – even with the use of products to facilitate those ends. Adequate sound response is integral for the performing musician. Challenges to obtain the most optimal sound response may differ with varied musician populations and music genres. But hearing protection is of paramount importance to ensure professional longevity, and the audiologist must take an active role in choosing an appropriate hearing protective device for the musician and ensuring proper and regular usage of the device(s). The basic anatomy of a live sound system and the role of the system in providing the musician with the feedback necessary for performance will be addressed in detail. In-the-Ear monitors will be emphasized and explained with reference to the inner circuitry and industry misconceptions regarding important variables (e.g. number of drivers and venting). Further, the physical set-up of ITE monitors to obtain the appropriate sound mix will be addressed. The relationship between the role of the Audiologist, the musician and the sound engineer (monitor engineer and/or front-of-house engineer) will be discussed. Specific needs of the avocational musician and the audiophile who is particular about tone will be discussed in detail.

ng and voice disorders. She completed her Doctorate of Audiology at Salus University and earned dual Master's degrees (Speech Pathology/Audiology) with honors from Hofstra University. Dr. Heche's clinical skills include experience in acute, subacute and long term care settings. She has also been a clinical audiology professor at Long Island University – Brooklyn Campus. Hearing conservation has been a focus of her practice, as she addresses special populations such as motorcyclists and musicians. She regularly speaks at the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) convention. She is a Certified Sound Engineer, with particular experience in live music venue sound systems, and a working musician who regularly performs in small and medium sized venues as a vocalist and percussionist. Her experience has made her a resource within the NYC music scene. She regularly provides seminars regarding hearing healthcare practices in conjunction with live music performances to musicians and works with several live music venues as an audio consultant.In 2010, Dr. Heche was named one of the Jerger Future Leaders of Audiology. She provides informational seminars on topics ranging from vocal health practices to public speaking, musicians' hearing healthcare issues, general communication and business practices. She has been published several times in national trade journals, discussing increasing access to the musical community and musician's hearing healthcare.