Piano Teacher Needs Some Advice on Ear Plugs

[Dolly_S]

Hi everyone, this is my first post in this forum, so I'll start by briefly introducing my situation.

I am a piano teacher, and my tinnitus seems to be getting louder. I've also started noticing new sounds, and tinnitus appeared in my other ear just last month.

I first developed tinnitus in my right ear around 2012 while I was studying piano tuning and classical music. The tinnitus would temporarily get stronger after listening to the piano. I stopped tuning about a year after I developed tinnitus, but I continued playing the piano.

Around May 2016, my right ear began to feel full and numb. At that time, I was practicing for many hours each day on what I believe was an overly resonant piano. I took a break from practicing for two weeks, and fortunately, my ear felt better and the tinnitus did not noticeably worsen. After that, I started wearing -15 dB earplugs every minute while practicing at home.

Then in January 2017, as I mentioned above, my right ear worsened and tinnitus also started in my left ear. I began thinking about wearing earplugs while teaching, since my workplace is a small room that reflects sound directly into my ears. However, I've had some concerns about using earplugs in class. One issue is that when I wear them, I can't hear subtle details in the music, which are very important in classical playing. I don't remember exactly which brand of filters I use, but I think they might be Etymotic -15 dB. I am not completely sure, but now I want to try other brands.

Can anyone recommend earplugs with high-quality filters? Also, I am very self-conscious about students or others noticing I am wearing them. Are there any suggestions for more invisible or discreet earplugs? Thank you.

 

[fhs]

You'll either have to wear earplugs, work with a quieter piano, or have tinnitus get louder. Each time the piano is being played while you don't have hearing protection the tinnitus is getting worse.

If you're worried about not being able to hear subtle sounds now you should definitely be worried about the tinnitus getting worse. From the stories I've heard people with tinnitus tend to have it get much worse when they continue to expose themselves to high decibels. It won't take X amount of years for it to double in volume. It will take months. How bad can it get? It can get worse than putting your head right next to a vacuum cleaner. You don't want to have that for the rest of your life.

Of course you should wear earplugs with students. Who cares if they see you wearing earplugs. Do you want your life ruined?

 

[Robert44]

hi, I'm a music teacher and I play the piano all day. The piano is my desk. I use db downbeats plugs. They work well and they cannot be seen. I do speak to my students about taking care of their ears but I avoid getting into deep discussions about it. I have some children who do have hearing problems and I don't want to scare them. I do talk to them about not listening to loud music and being around loud sounds. I speak to them very seriously about it without scaring them. I have to be sensitive to the kids who already have hearing problems by not maiking them feel hopeless and scared. The plugs come with a nice case so you can keep them in your pocket so they are ready to use. all the best

 

[Dolly_S]

You'll either have to wear earplugs, work with a quieter piano, or have tinnitus get louder. Each time the piano is being played while you don't have hearing protection the tinnitus is getting worse.

If you're worried about not being able to hear subtle sounds now you should definitely be worried about the tinnitus getting worse. From the stories I've heard people with tinnitus tend to have it get much worse when they continue to expose themselves to high decibels. It won't take X amount of years for it to double in volume. It will take months. How bad can it get? It can get worse than putting your head right next to a vacuum cleaner. You don't want to have that for the rest of your life.

Of course you should wear earplugs with students. Who cares if they see you wearing earplugs. Do you want your life ruined?

You are right. My hearing is priceless I should protect it at all cost. Sometime I just think I'm not yet fully accept that I can't hear the piano playing with bare ears anymore.

 

[Dolly_S]

hi, I'm a music teacher and I play the piano all day. The piano is my desk. I use db downbeats plugs. They work well and they cannot be seen. I do speak to my students about taking care of their ears but I avoid getting into deep discussions about it. I have some children who do have hearing problems and I don't want to scare them. I do talk to them about not listening to loud music and being around loud sounds. I speak to them very seriously about it without scaring them. I have to be sensitive to the kids who already have hearing problems by not maiking them feel hopeless and scared. The plugs come with a nice case so you can keep them in your pocket so they are ready to use. all the best

Just check that DownBeat earplug. Looks much smaller that my ear plugs. Thanks for your advice Robert.

 

[Aaron123]

I would suggest that having your students see you wear earplugs is a good thing. You can help educate them about sound levels, hearing loss, and tinnitus.

 

[PeteJ]

I find myself longing for the days when I was a kid and my mom enrolled us in piano lessons. I didn't practice much, and I was one of the first to quit. The teacher eventually told my mom that if we weren't going to play, there was no point in continuing the lessons.

That's one of my biggest regrets. I wish I had stayed with it, because now I miss music so much. I really enjoy piano and keyboard songs, and if I had kept going, I would be an experienced player by now.

Instead, I damaged my ears and hearing, probably from working loud jobs. I'm not sure how much rock concerts contributed, but maybe it all added up over time. I would trade all of that away if I could. I wish I had gotten the kind of job I wanted—something in an office or working with computers—and kept piano and music as a hobby. I would have worn musicians' earplugs and protected my hearing.

 

[BrOKeN_1]

I find myself longing for the days when I was a kid and my mom enrolled us in piano lessons. I didn't practice much, and I was one of the first to quit. The teacher eventually told my mom that if we weren't going to play, there was no point in continuing the lessons.

That's one of my biggest regrets. I wish I had stayed with it, because now I miss music so much. I really enjoy piano and keyboard songs, and if I had kept going, I would be an experienced player by now.

Instead, I damaged my ears and hearing, probably from working loud jobs. I'm not sure how much rock concerts contributed, but maybe it all added up over time. I would trade all of that away if I could. I wish I had gotten the kind of job I wanted—something in an office or working with computers—and kept piano and music as a hobby. I would have worn musicians' earplugs and protected my hearing.

@PeteJ, hindsight is a cruel mistress.

 

[Tweaker]

Hi everyone, this is my first post in this forum, so I'll start by briefly introducing my situation.

I am a piano teacher, and my tinnitus seems to be getting louder. I've also started noticing new sounds, and tinnitus appeared in my other ear just last month.

I first developed tinnitus in my right ear around 2012 while I was studying piano tuning and classical music. The tinnitus would temporarily get stronger after listening to the piano. I stopped tuning about a year after I developed tinnitus, but I continued playing the piano.

Around May 2016, my right ear began to feel full and numb. At that time, I was practicing for many hours each day on what I believe was an overly resonant piano. I took a break from practicing for two weeks, and fortunately, my ear felt better and the tinnitus did not noticeably worsen. After that, I started wearing -15 dB earplugs every minute while practicing at home.

Then in January 2017, as I mentioned above, my right ear worsened and tinnitus also started in my left ear. I began thinking about wearing earplugs while teaching, since my workplace is a small room that reflects sound directly into my ears. However, I've had some concerns about using earplugs in class. One issue is that when I wear them, I can't hear subtle details in the music, which are very important in classical playing. I don't remember exactly which brand of filters I use, but I think they might be Etymotic -15 dB. I am not completely sure, but now I want to try other brands.

Can anyone recommend earplugs with high-quality filters? Also, I am very self-conscious about students or others noticing I am wearing them. Are there any suggestions for more invisible or discreet earplugs? Thank you.

I use these, which are very discreet. They are translucent.

Also, these musician ones are discreet.

 

[Mister Muso]

I can no longer play the piano without wearing earplugs. Some people have seriously harmed their lives by playing with tinnitus. I use Mack's Hear Plugs or generic, non-branded reusable silicone plugs with a fluted design.