Musicians’ daily sound exposure assessed by full-day dosimetry

In day-to-day life student musicians are often exposed to high-level sounds, that may be damaging for their hearing. At music universities, there are various obligatory activities, such as playing in the symphony or wind orchestra, playing in chamber ensembles or a Big Band. Many hours of individual practice is also mandatory. In every one of these activities, sound pressure levels are often high and the daily sound exposure levels often exceed the permissible limit of 85 dB. In this study, the exemplary results of the daily sound exposure are shown for a group of music students. In contrast to other studies, the measurements were carried out throughout the entire duration of the typical workday, so the calculated daily sound exposure level (L_EX,8h) is based on factual data, not estimations. Data concerning the A-weighted equivalent continuous sound pressure level in the function of time are presented for musicians playing the flute, clarinet, double-bass, percussion, trombone, trumpet and French horn, for every activity (e.g. lesson, rehearsal, concert). The daily sound exposure level values (L_EX,8h) are determined for each instrument.