Etymotic Education

Music Alive! now offers hearing protection products and hearing health education materials so you can Hear For a Lifetime!


Etymotic Education seeks to advocate, and provide materials for, hearing health as an element of the scholastic music curriculum. The World Health Organization forecasts that over 17 billion young people around the world today will eventually suffer from noise-induced hearing loss, which is progressive, cumulative and irreversible.

Music educators have a unique opportunity to help students guard against this debilitating outcome of lives spent using headphones and earphones and in general being subjected to dangerously loud sound. The goal is to create a generation of young musicians and music educators whose hearing and enjoyment of music will not be affected by hearing loss or tinnitus.

The Importance of Hearing Protection


Exposure to excessive noise from drum lines, pipe bands, marching bands, orchestras, and music from a player’s own instrument or nearby instruments can cause tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and permanent hearing loss depending on the duration of the sound. The human ear overloads at high sound levels, making it difficult to impossible to distinguish the blend with other instruments. Wearing high-fidelity earplugs makes it possible to protect hearing and actually hear better. That can translate to playing better too

The Good News


Noise-induced hearing loss is preventable.

Hearing Health Product Pricing


Etymotic earplugs and Lucid Hearing Headphones are offered to educators at below market prices, but ETY•Plugs and ER•20XS earplugs require a minimum order of 25 pairs. Shipping and handling charges are added to each order. Telephone orders can be placed by called 914-358-1200 x702.

ETY•Plugs


Reduces the potential for hearing damage from loud music, machinery, vehicles, tools and sporting events.

ETY•Plugs

ER20XS


Same hearing protection as ETY•Plugs with new, low-profile design. Fits snugly in the ear without protruding; comfortable to wear under hats, helmets and other headgear. Reduces the potential for hearing damage from loud music, machinery, vehicles, tools and sporting events.

ER20XS

MusicPro Earplugs


Electronic, adaptive noise-reduction earplugs automatically adjust to changing sound levels. The ultimate in hearing protection. Designed for musicians who want to hear naturally, need protection when hearing is at risk, and want to avoid the inconvenience of removing earplugs to hear.

MusicPro Earplugs

Download the Free NIOSH Sound Level Meter App to Your Phone to Measure Noise Levels in the Classroom or at Home


NIOSH

Click here for a printable PDF


Dosimeter

Follow the links to Etymotic Education videos below to learn more!

Hear For a Lifetime:

Click here for a 15 minute video shown on YouTube that makes the case for hearing protection and hearing health.

Auditory Transduction:

A 6:45 minute video that expands on hearing and hearing health concepts.


FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How does Etymotic Education differ from the original Adopt-A-Band program?

Like the Adopt-a-Band program, Etymotic Education is available to anyone interested in advocating safe playing and practicing habits for today’s young musicians, however, the educational materials included are now offered freely and without condition. Also, earplug discounts for educational institutions are consistent, and apply to all purchases above a minimum order, regardless of volume.

Is Etymotic Education designed only for high school bands?

The goal is to protect hearing, so supplying earplugs and information is advised for all age groups, ensembles or musical genres. Hearing health education should be a part of all musical training and provided for all students.

Do you accept purchase orders?

We accept purchase orders, but products aren’t shipped until payment is received.

How do I get started?

All Etymotic Education materials accessed via this page are free and can be shared without restriction. To order ETY•Plugs and ER•20XS earplugs, Music•PRO electronic ear plugs and Lucid’s Hearing Headphones, click here.

For more, call us at (914) 358-1200 x702

Etymotic
“I’m going to be around music my whole life and I would hate to have my career end because I can’t hear anymore.”

Joe Kulick, Music Education Major
Cavaliers Drum & Bugle Corps

“Nobody mentioned to us that my son needed hearing protection. What was really shocking to me was that it’s not just the percussion, it’s all the instruments.”

Kathleen Kulick
Parent of a Student Musician

“As a band director, I feel it is part of our job to promote healthy life choices and healthy lifestyles in their teenage years all the way through adulthood. Using proper hearing protection is one of those healthy life choices.”

Branden Estes
Music Director

“After loud intense rehearsals, my ears would ring for a while but then it would stop. Thirty-two years later, the ears ring and it doesn’t stop.”

President Emeritus, VanderCook College of Music

“When I would tell a band member to turn down the level, they would say, ‘Well just turn it up if you can’t hear yourself.’ It’s not that I need more volume of me, I need less volume to hear more.”

Susan Voelz, Rock Violinist
Poi dog Pondering