My Experience with the Musicians’ Hearing Health Scheme: “I Should Have Invested in a Set of Molded Earplugs Years Ago”

I began my music career as a skinny teen in the late 70s. I was playing bass guitar in a ballroom dance band and was making a reasonable living.

However, for some reason as they often do, my parents convinced me that I needed a “proper job”, and I ended up joining the armed forces. We were issued over-ear hearing protection when firing our weapons, and this is when I became aware of the damage loud noise can do to your hearing.

Throughout my life I continued playing bass, mostly playing covers in rock bands, but I was normally careful about protecting my hearing when performing. Initially I was using cheap disposable foam earplugs, but later I upgraded and invested in good pairs of off the shelf silicone earplugs.

It transpires that the ear protection the Ministry of Defense issued us with was not fit for purpose. This got me thinking, so I booked a hearing test on the high street. Sure enough, I had moderate hearing loss in the higher frequencies. Since hearing loss can’t be reversed, I was keen to prevent further damage.

Around the same time, I was skimming through the MU website when I spotted an article about the Musicians’ Hearing Health Protection Scheme. The prospect of getting custom-molded earplugs at an affordable price became a no-brainer, so I contacted the MU.

The process was simple. I applied via the online form, and shortly after I was accepted as I met the eligibility criteria. I then booked a hearing test with an approved audiologist and paid them the £37.50 fee.

The tests

On the day of my appointment I had an ear examination, a hearing test, and the audiologist took impressions of my ear canals. After the mouldings were taken I was shown an audiogram, which displayed how well (or poorly) I could hear different frequencies.

The audiologist explained my results in detail. They confirmed that I had already suffered damage to the tiny receptor hairs in my inner ear. At lower decibel levels I wasn’t hearing high-frequency sounds (those from 2,000 Hz upwards), but between 40 to 69 dB (around the volume of normal conversation), I could sometimes (but not always) perceive them.

That, they explained, was why I was not hearing certain parts of speech, particularly the higher pitched sibilance noises like “s”, “ch”, and “sh”.

They went on to explain that the molded earplugs could be fitted with one of several different attenuation filters. There was a light attenuation which is suitable for acoustic musicians, a minus 17 dB attenuation which is good for general music performance and rehearsals, and a minus 25 dB attenuation that they recommended for louder stage environments and drummers. There was even a full-block option for maximum noise reduction.

I opted for the minus 17 dB filter and chose to have my earplugs in bright red, with the optional cord to connect them.

When my custom-molded hearing protection arrived a few weeks later, I had the mandatory play with them in the house. They were marked, the right earplug had a red mark and the left one a blue mark, so I shouldn’t easily mix them up.

I found them easy to insert and remove, and was eager and curious to see if I had spent my money wisely, so I planned a simple comparison test at the next band rehearsal.

Custom vs off the shelf 

I was frankly amazed at the difference between my old faithful, three-flange silicone earplugs and the new molded set.

My old silicone earplugs made everything quieter, but the sound was slightly molded and I found myself loosening them to hear properly, especially when we stopped to discuss what went right or wrong. At one stage I even found myself removing one during a song so I could hear properly.

In contrast, my new custom-molded earplugs allowed me to hear clearly the full range of frequencies. Well, at least the ones I could still hear due to my previous hearing damage.

For a change, the lead guitarist’s screaming, overdriven Marshall amp was not painful to listen to! I could still hear everything that was going on, just at a lower, more comfortable volume. No more molded frequencies either. Brilliant!

It wasn’t until I tried both sets of earplugs that I realised how poorly my old set were performing. The new molded earplugs are simply superior. I now use the molded ear plugs at every rehearsal and on stage when we don’t have IEMs (in ear monitoring). I find that they are especially good when playing pub and club gigs, where you have a PA and monitors in a restricted space.

Hindsight, a wonderful thing

Over the years I’ve played in many cover bands, and they pretty much all had one thing in common, when they practiced, they all played too loud. I think we all know that we should turn it down, but we never do.

I thought I was taking at least some care of my ears by using off the shelf earplugs. In hindsight though, I should have invested in a set of molded earplugs many years ago. They are just so much better.

There was also an unexpected advantage. When doing backing vocals, I no longer need to stick my finger in my ear to hear myself properly!

The other thing I had neglected over the years was the fact that, as I needed them for my job, I could claim back the cost of the hearing protection against my tax bill. So when you next do your own HMRC self-assessment, remember to claim back not just the cost of the hearing protection, but also your travel expenses to and from the audiologist.

So, everyone, what’s the real cost of protecting your hearing? It’s not hundreds of pounds, it’s not even £37.50 - if you talk nicely to your accountant, it’s free.