Association of Adult Musicians with Hearing Loss (AAMHL)

Proving the loss of hearing does not equal the loss of music!

AAMHL's mission is to:

1. Create opportunities for adult musicians with hearing loss to discuss the challenges they face in making and listening to music.
2. Create opportunities for public performance either individually or in groups by adult musicians with hearing loss who might not otherwise have access to these opportunities
3. Provide ongoing feedback to hearing health professionals, hearing researchers, manufacturers of hearing assistive technology, music educators and others to improve hearing device technology relative to music performance and enjoyment
4. Provide educational opportunities to enable hard of hearing and deaf adults to appreciate and make music in ways not previously available

AAMHL's initiatives include:

• Print and mail informational brochures about AAMHL
• Create hearing-accessible conferences and workshops on making music with a hearing loss
• Produce hearing accessible concerts by both hearing and hearing impaired musicians
• Produce recordings of performances by hearing-impaired musicians
• Produce informational materials on listening to music with a hearing loss and listings of hearing-accessible performance venues

If you're interested, please visit http://www.aamhl.org/joomla10/

TEDx O'Porto 2011: Julian Treasure

Julian Treasure is the chair of the Sound Agency, a firm that advises worldwide businesses (offices, retailers, hotels) on how to use sound.

He asks us to pay attention to the sounds that surround us. How do they make us feel: productive, stressed, energized, acquisitive?

Treasure is the author of the book Sound Business and keeps a blog by the same name that ruminates on aural matters (and offers a nice day-by-day writeup of TEDGlobal 2009).

In the early 1980s, Treasure was the drummer for the Fall-influenced band Transmitters.

That's why you should listen to him

Alterações no comportamento devidas ao excesso de ruído

Alguns autores relatam uma extensa série de sintomas comportamentais consequentes à exposição prolongada a excesso de ruído. São eles:

• mudanças na conduta e no humor;
• falta de atenção e concentração; cefaléia;
• redução da potência sexual;
• ansiedade;
• depressão;
• cansaço;
• fadiga e stress.

Estes sintomas podem aparecer isolados ou mesmo juntamente. Gerges(1995), acrescenta ainda:

• nervosismo;
• fadiga mental;
• frustração;
• irritabilidade;
• mau ajustamento em situações novas;
• conflitos sociais entre trabalhadores expostos ao ruído.

Alguns psiquiatras e psicólogos crêem que níveis fortes de ruído podem inclusivamente desencadear o aumento de reacções e comportamentos de agressividade e violência. Afirmam que pessoas expostas ao ruído prolongado mostram maior sensibilidade e propensão para envolver-se em situações de brigas e discussões, pois tendem a irritar-se com maior facilidade.

Apesar disso, importa relembrar que os factores individuais têm também um papel importante na tolerância ao ruído, o que quer dizer que alguns indivíduos são mais susceptíveis do que outros a este tipo de estímulo.

Em relação aos profissionais da música, Quick & Lapertosa realizaram, em 1981, uma pesquisa com músicos de várias orquestras de música moderna. Após ensaios repetidos, durante um certo período, estes evidenciaram as seguintes queixas:

• Nervosismo: 83%
• Tendência agressiva: 39%
• Cefaléia: 29%
• Cansaço e desânimo: 21%

Portanto, para promover a sua tranquilidade e bem-estar, procure rodear-se de silêncio várias vezes ao longo do dia :)

informação acedida em: http://www.segurancaetrabalho.com.br/download/ruido-luana-medeiros.pdf

imagem acedida em: http://tristarkarateblog.com/wp-content/uploads/karate-bradley-stressed-out.jpg

May: Speech and Hearing Awareness Month - Tip nº7

THROUGHOUT THE MONTH OF MAY, WE SHOULD ALL RAISE AWARENESS OF HEARING HAZARDS AND RESPONSIBILITIES.

Tip 7:

Noise is part of everyday life, but loud noise can permanently damage your hearing.

Young or old, once you lose your hearing you can never get it back.

Image from: http://www.thehealthage.com/site/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/noise-exposure.jpg

May: Speech and Hearing Awareness Month - Tip nº6

THROUGHOUT THE MONTH OF MAY, WE SHOULD ALL RAISE AWARENESS OF HEARING HAZARDS AND RESPONSIBILITIES.

Tip 6:

There is evidence that exposure to live music can cause hearing damage.

The audience can still enjoy the performance with the controls in place.

Image from: http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS7wu-QyTXcxmaLs0T8KI09CTZ-5S3TitSeUUo86b9Q4THaE6RB

May: Speech and Hearing Awareness Month - Tip nº5

THROUGHOUT THE MONTH OF MAY, WE SHOULD ALL RAISE AWARENESS OF HEARING HAZARDS AND RESPONSIBILITIES.

Tip 5: Take a break

When you are listening to the loud noises then a break for sometime is very important, don’t be very consistent while listening to the louder noises. This thing has been proven that the length of time you are exposed to the louder sound is as significant as the volume of noise so try to avoid the longer listening of loud sound.

Image from: http://data.whicdn.com/images/9019636/166485_172841586092207_163513410358358_353971_1474891_n_thumb.jpg?1303384812

May: Speech and Hearing Awareness Month - Tip nº4

THROUGHOUT THE MONTH OF MAY, WE SHOULD ALL RAISE AWARENESS OF HEARING HAZARDS AND RESPONSIBILITIES.

Tip 4:

Get hearing checkups if you are exposed to loud noises regularly, like if you work at a factory or an airport or hear loud noises on a daily basis.

If you notice a change in your hearing, contact your doctor. Otolaryngologists are doctors who specialize in the ears, nose, throat and neck. Your regular doctor can refer you to one.

Image from: http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSS9MdxO10dbSMxaPnGvAIpWry5h3NEdfLczd

eA-u0CvFtutpUz