Music training should not degrade hearing

DENTON, Texas, June 16 (UPI) -- A U.S. professor of music says he wants to get the word out that playing music can damage hearing.

John Murphy, a professor at the University of North Texas in Denton, says he was unaware of his own hearing loss until he took a class in electronic music and could not hear certain tones.

The saxophonist learned he has a condition common to professional musicians known as the 4k notch -- a dramatic drop in hearing sensitivity.

Years of playing in jazz, rock and Latin bands, and going to events with amplified music had taken a toll, Murphy says. The episode woke him up to the serious risk of noise-induced hearing loss in musicians.

"There is no tool more crucial for a musician than hearing," Murphy said in a statement. "If the training of musicians is degrading students' ability to hear well, then something has to change."

Murphy says he uses musicians' earplugs whenever he plays or listens to loud music and encourages his students to do the same.

"If the training of musicians is degrading students' ability to hear well, then something has to change," Murphy said.