Most musicians will attest to the fact that music is getting louder and louder, especially when played in small venues.  Why is that?  Well there are a few reasons and it is a catch 22 type of effect.  If there is hearing damage done due to loud playing, one will have to adjust soundboards accordingly for the musicians to hear themselves play, thus the volume continues to rise, as the hearing damage continues to happen.  Unfortunately hearing damage is permanent and cannot be reversed.

The chaps from Elephant Rock don't want that to happen.  All four members of the band, Ian Toms, John Connolly, Ross MacDonald and Richard Knox, attended the First Hearing Protection Clinic at the PEI Music Association at the Confederation Center of the Arts in Charlottetown, PEI.

The clinic started off with a hearing test for each participant.  This is most important for any musician or concert goer to see if and how much hearing damage has been done.  The hearing test consisted of a series of tones that were played through a set of head phones.  If the tones were heard, the participant would click a button to signify that they indeed heard the sound.

Once the results were discussed with each participant, a fitting for hearing protection was done.  This procedure took about 5 minutes.  First ears are checked for wax buildup and other abnormalities.  Following the inspection of the ears, a small sponge (attached to a string) was gently inserted into the ear canal.  Next a foam/silicone based substance was inserted into the ears.  The individual was than to keep their jaw relaxed, without movement, for 5 minutes.  This allows the mold to harden slightly in the correct position.  Amazingly enough, it is very difficult to hear with this in your ears.  The molds are then easily removed.  This mold is then used to create a custom fitted ear protection device that actually has filters in it that allow different frequencies of sound to come through.  The result: the ability to hear the music clearly while offering hearing protection to extraneous noise.

Betty Lou Jordan, Eastlink Channel 10,  was on hand to interview the participants of the clinic, to be aired sometime in October. 

All in all a very successful and informative clinic!  Stay tuned for the next session regarding musicians health and wellness.  Congratulations Elephant Rock on the road to your health and success!