Category: Blog

Hearsay Newsletter #10

Posted on April 4, 2023 by - Blog, Homepage

Hearsay Newsletter #10

Our latest newsletter highlighting everything new at Harley Street Hearing and Musicians’ Hearing Services.  

Click on the image to read in full.

We are proud to be London’s largest, and longest serving, independent hearing clinic. Established on Harley Street for over 25 years. We hold regular regional clinics around the UK.

Whatever your hearing needs we can help you with hearing issues, hearing aids, ear wax removal, tinnitus treatment & custom made hearing protection.

We are also the national providers of the Musicians’ Hearing Health Scheme, for details see here.

Call us now on 020 7486 1053.

How can musicians protect their hearing?

Posted on November 10, 2022 by - Blog, Homepage

Creating ear impressions
Creating ear impressions

Tinnitus, ear plugs and hearing loss

Senior Clinical Audiologist Fiona Butterworth, at Harley Street Hearing and Musicians’ Hearing Services, answered questions about a range of important issues with Help Musicians, from tinnitus and ear plugs to how musicians can protect their hearing with discounted audiological assessments and custom-made hearing protection.

Musicians’ Hearing Health Scheme

Together Help Musicians and Musicians’ Hearing Services offer musicians access to affordable hearing assessments and protection. The Musicians’ Hearing Health Scheme  is carried out by our clinical audiologists, and includes an assessment, education and best advice on protecting your hearing and a pair of custom-made ear plugs.

To see the full article click here

Custom-made hearing protection is advised for anyone who is often exposed to high levels of noise, to see all the custom hearing protection we provide click here

Brighton Music Conference

Posted on July 5, 2022 by - Blog, Homepage

Brighton Music Conference

Written by Fiona Butterworth – Senior clinical audiologist.

‘I was invited to sit on the “All About Ears” panel. Given the conference was housed in the British Airways i360, it was easy to navigate to once I had made my way to the Brighton seafront promenade. 

This was the first educational event that I had attended in person since early March 2020 and it was great to be back amongst the musicians. I am passionate about teaching people the importance of using hearing protection and together with Andy Shiach from ACS, Liam Hennessy from HMUK, and DJ Annabellestopit, we were able to answer questions from all angles, tying in our own personal experiences to bolster our responses. 

The audience asked interesting questions that were linked to both their experience as musicians but also to their non-musical day-jobs and how they must manage their noise exposure across both careers carefully. It was clear that everyone in the audience understood the importance of protecting their hearing, and by the end of the panel discussion they had the information they needed.  

The music industry is still recovering from the hit it received from the pandemic, and it was refreshing and exciting to see the enthusiasm of the musicians as they moved around the conference.’ 

Over 10 thousand musicians’ hearing saved

Posted on April 7, 2022 by - Blog, Homepage

Over ten thousand musicians’ hearing saved so far

Since 2018 we have seen an incredulous 11,500 UK musicians for the Musicians Hearing Health Scheme.

Our Clinical Audiologists have provided them all with an invaluable education on how to effectively protect their ears, tested their hearing, as well as equipping them with custom-made hearing protection (Pro Plugs).

We’re thrilled to have provided this amazing scheme in collaboration with the Musicians’ Union and Help Musicians UK- the leading UK charity for musicians of all genres.

We look forward to helping many more!

Research shows that musicians are at greater risk of experiencing hearing loss than the general population.

To see if you’re eligible for the Musicians Hearing Health Scheme click here 

Kerrang ‘Sound Of Metal’ interview on preventing hearing loss at gigs

Posted on April 15, 2021 by - Blog, Homepage, Media

Tinnitus cannot be cured, but here’s how rock fans can prevent hearing loss

There’s a moment near the beginning of Sound Of Metal, the Oscar-nominated movie about a drummer who goes deaf, where Ruben (played by Riz Ahmed) is being diagnosed after experiencing bouts of sudden and overwhelming hearing loss. ​“Your hearing is deteriorating rapidly,” he is told. ​“You have to understand: your first responsibility is to preserve the hearing you have.”

Paul Checkley – Clinical Director at Harley Street Hearing and Musicians Hearing Services was interviewed for his advice:

Tinnitus

or as most people know it, a high-pitched ringing you get in your ears, can be intermittent for some people, but for others it’s a chronic condition. It’s also irreversible.

“People say, ​‘I came out of a gig and my ears were ringing’ without understanding that isn’t something to just joke about,” says Paul. ​“It means that potentially your hearing has been damaged irreversibly… There is no cure for tinnitus as such, which is one of the biggest issues that people face: you get this ringing in your ears and are then told that you’re going to have that for the rest of your life.”

Because tinnitus has no cure, only treatment, Paul recommends wearing earplugs. Harley Street Hearing & Musicians’ Hearing Services fit both heavy gig-goers and musicians with custom-moulded, ​“flat response” plugs.

“If you’ve got tinnitus, we would normally do a hearing test to allow us to assess it,” says Paul. 

Call 020 7486 1053 or complete below if you’d like to come in for a Tinnitus consultation with one of our Hearing Therapists. 

Click here to see the full Kerrang interview.

Hearing health in the music industry podcast

Posted on August 5, 2019 by - Blog, Homepage

Hearing health in the music industry podcast

Listen to this invaluable interview with drummer Nigel Elliott including hearing advice & tips.  

Nigel Elliott discusses the effects that over 40 years of playing music has had on his hearing, the knowledge he’s picked up along the way and the steps he’s taken to protect it. 

Includes advice on how to look after your hearing health, and also tells how you can access professional moulded ear plugs for a fraction of the price. 

Listen to the Elevate Music podcast here or click the image above

First podcast helping musicians health & wellbeing

Posted on July 16, 2019 by - Blog, Homepage, Listen To Us

First podcast helping musicians health & wellbeing

Listen to the first Elevate Music podcast – an invaluable resource helping musicians to improve their health and wellbeing. (Series 1 – episode 1)

The Elevate Music podcast focuses on a range of different themes across 15 episodes, including mental and vocal health, hearing problems, stage fright, drugs and alcohol, social media and the challenge of touring and many more.

The series launches with an episode featuring host Lucy Heyman talking to Help Musicians’ Head of Health & Welfare – Joe Hastings, and Adam Ficek, a member of Babyshambles.

“When I was thrust into the music industry, it was amazing, I felt adrenalised, but I didn’t have the same business sense I have now,” said Ficek. “On reflection, the biggest transition was after the phone stops ringing. It’s a business, it’s an industry and it’s neither good nor bad.”

He added: “There needs to be more information and awareness, to help musicians be better prepared. A place for musicians to go”.

The project is the brainchild of industry researcher and CEO of Elevate Music, Lucy Heyman, who also presents the podcast.

“Studies have shown that pop musicians feel unsupported in their careers with health and wellbeing issues, so this  podcast is looking at the key topics that research tells us they need most help with,” she said.  “The podcast, along with the other services that Elevate Music provides, is initiating a much-needed crisis-prevention model within the industry to try and stop issues from impacting on musicians’ health in the future.”

World’s first hearable with artificial intelligence

Posted on April 3, 2019 by - Blog, Homepage

World’s first hearable with artificial intelligence

LIVIO is the world’s very first hearable with Artificial Intelligence (AI).

This is a hearing aid within a class of its own.

This new technology is completely revolutionary. It features integrated sensors and AI (this means it performs tasks that normally require human intelligence).

It’s proven that hearing health is directly connected to overall health and well-being.  Meaning those who can hear can engage with the world around them and live healthier and better lives.  Early treatment for hearing loss can improve or limit cognitive decline and dementia.

Some of the unique features of LIVIO:-

  • Up to 30% improvement in speech understanding in noisy environments
  • Significant improvements in sharpness and clarity
  • Automatically and instantly adapts to the environment to optimise challenging situations
  • Built-in activity tracker – to support hearing health and fitness
  • Manages balance and spatial awareness
  • Detects if you fall and alerts your chosen contact

Want to be one of the first to trial LIVIO in the UK?

Call us to book the next available trial appointment on 020 7486 1053 or complete below

Rihanna and Musicians Hearing Services live in Germany

Posted on July 19, 2016 by - Blog

Rihanna and Musicians Hearing Services live in Germany

The Harley Street Hearing and Musicians Hearing Services group have been going global recently. Our practice was contacted by one of the biggest names in the music industry, Rihanna, to take ear impressions for in-ear monitors.

Rihanna the chart topping, eight time Grammy award winning artist who has millions of gold and platinum (riaa) song certifications is on the European leg of her ANTI world tour.  She is set to travel to 18 different countries around Europe, with her shows in the UK going down a storm.

She was due to perform in Hamburg, Germany on Saturday the 9th of July. This is where our journey with Rihanna began.

Rihanna Germany MHS 1The call came in late Thursday from Rihanna’s tour manager; she needed impressions taken for new in ear monitors and we had come highly recommended.

They were currently in Copenhagen, but were set to travel to Germany for Saturdays show. Could we help? “OF COURSE!” We reminded them of the minor detail that our practice and our audiologists were based in London or Manchester, this was not a problem, they arranged flights to and from Hamburg, with accommodation for an overnight stay.

“I was the chosen audiologist to go & packed my bags and the equipment I needed; and was on the Heathrow express from Paddington station to terminal 5. 

Arriving in Hamburg I was met by Martin the driver who took me to the Park Hyatt Hotel in the centre of the city.  Driving through the cities suburbs Martin pointed out the Rotherbaum tennis arena, and the University of Hamburg.

Rihanna Germany MHS 2All checked in to the hotel, I received a call from Rhianna’s tour manager.  He was going to send a driver to pick me up at 8 o’clock to bring me to the arena, so I could watch the show and then be on standby, as I was going to take impressions after her performance.

Jan (the runner for the tour) picked me up, he joked that he needed to find “roasted salted cashew nuts”, which by the sounds of it were not that readily available in Germany.  We eventually found a supermarket which stocked these and the jubilation on Jan’s face was priceless; we could finally head to the arena.

Rihanna Germany MHS 4On arrival a VIP badge was hoisted around my neck, I was shown to the golden circle where I could watch the show which had already started.  Rhianna put in a great performance, her hit single “Work” being the highlight. How ironic, here I was in Hamburg, AT WORK, with Rihanna……

The show was over.  Buzzing from her performance it was my time to shine!  I was shown into her dressing room at around half past midnight, Rihanna stood up shook my hand and asked me where I was from. “London” I replied. We exchanged conversation, discussing rumours of playing  perform at Glastonbury. Mimicking my English accent with playful jest I then took 2 sets of impressions.

We hugged, I wished her good luck for the rest of her tour, then I was driven back to the hotel by Jan as we joked about the “salted roasted cashew nuts”.

After breakfast Sebastian drove me to the airport the following morning.  He noted that Hamburg was the city with the most bridges in Europe, more than Venice (an interesting fact).

On the flight back to London I reflected on my trip to Hamburg and how incredible Rhianna’s performance and her kind and approachable personality were.”

The ear impressions were then sent to a manufacturer in the United States who produce high performance in-ear-monitors.

In ear monitors are a small wireless device, worn by the performer, which would deliver the monitor mix directly to the ear at a volume that could be personally controlled. The in-ear-monitor gives around 30 dB sound isolation which in turn protects the performer’s ears.

It is fantastic that stars such as Rihanna are taking steps to protecting their hearing, as a big drive by the World Health Organisation recently aims to tackle preventable hearing loss caused by noise.

There are a number of solutions for individuals of any age to start protecting their hearing. Take a look at our website

Jack Stancel-Lewis – Audiologist – Harley Street Hearing & Musicians Hearing Services.

If you need ear impressions or any advice on hearing issues call 020 7486 1053 or complete below.