Launch of the Hearing Care Platform
On the occasion of World Hearing Day, the Schulich School of Music of McGill University and the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Music Media and Technology (CIRMMT) are pleased to announce the launch of their Hearing Care Platform (HCP). Conceived in partnership with the NSERC-EERS Industrial Research Chair in In-Ear Technologies (CRITIAS) at the École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS), this project is designed to assess the noise exposure experienced by McGill music students.
As part of the School’s continued efforts to provide healthy work environments, this project aims to raise awareness of and promote hearing care. With a calibrated custom mobile app and a “listening device” measuring kiosk, participants will be able to assess their weekly sound exposure from music and non-music activities, as well as the potential risks for their hearing health.
While a pilot program with music students will begin in October 2020, the HCP’s measuring kiosk is now accessible to all students. Using their own listening devices and playlists, participants are asked to place their headphones on the artificial ears of a mannequin’s head. After a series of questions, listening levels are assessed on a tablet and personalized information on hearing care is provided to the participant.
The kiosk is located on the fourth floor of the Elizabeth Wirth Music Building in the Marvin Duchow Music Library. (The library entrance is on the third floor.) Operating hours follow the library schedule.
“Hearing protection awareness is crucial for our musicians. We are pleased to collaborate with CIRMMT who has provided the scientific and technological expertise to undertake the study and develop the measurement tools that will impact our students' lives,” said Brenda Ravenscroft, Dean of the Schulich School of Music.
The project's originality lies in the assessment method, which calls upon users' active involvement by using their own devices. Anonymous datasets, generated by the future pilot study, will be also made available for research purposes. More information about this project and the upcoming results will be available soon at cirmmt.org/hearingplatform.
Schulich School of Music: annie.saumier [at] mcgill.ca (Annie Saumier)
CIRMMT: isabelle.cossette1 [at] mcgill.ca (Isabelle Cossette)
About CIRMMT
CIRMMT is an interdisciplinary research group that seeks to develop innovative approaches to the scientific study of music media and technology, to promote the application of newer technologies in science and the creative arts, and to provide an advanced research training environment. The CIRMMT community is interested in research that spans a wide range of topics, including the creation of music in the composer's or performer's mind, the performance of music, music recording and/or transmission, and the reception of music by the listener. CIRMMT members also work in areas such as the science of performance and the ways in which senses, such as vision, touch and hearing, and haptics interact with music and sound.
About the Schulich School of Music
The Schulich School of Music at McGill University embodies the highest international standards of excellence in professional training and research. Renowned for its orchestral, wind, percussion, contemporary music, choral, opera, jazz, chamber, and early music ensembles, the Schulich School of Music presents more than 700 concerts and events each year. A leadership position in sound recording and music technology provides unique possibilities for collaboration with the larger musical community. Canada’s largest music school, founded in 1904, is home to over 800 students, who are drawn here by our faculty of more than 200 distinguished professors, extensive variety of ensembles and performance opportunities, and programs in research and technology.
