Listening to music with hearing loss

Enjoying music when you have a hearing loss.  Some tips for you:

If you’ve watched the progress of contestant Tasha Ghouri on the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, you’d never guess that she has been deaf since birth. Tasha received a cochlear implant aged five, but she also lip reads and uses BSL.

While Tasha appears to be navigating the dance show with ease, she has admitted to concentration fatigue in the rehearsal room with the need to lip read her dance partner Aljaž Škorjanec, and she experiences bad migraines due to the effects of the magnets that are part of the implant.

A cochlear implant often processes rhythms better than melodies – which is why Tasha finds music with a strong beat easier to work with than instrumental music. She’s said that dancing to the live band on Strictly helps her as it elevates the sound. Tasha is showing everyone how it’s possible to still enjoy music, despite having profound hearing loss.

Here are some tips to help you do the same if you’re living with hearing loss.  

• Be direct: Use Bluetooth or T-coil settings on your hearing aids to bring the music directly into your ears via your devices.
• Use the right programme: If your hearing aids have a music programme, use it. This will help to reduce distortion.
• Focus on songs: These are easier to follow than instrumental pieces as the words can help you to follow the music. Percussion instruments are easier to identify than strings or wind instruments, so listen to music with a strong beat. Songs with just one or two instruments are easier to identify than multi-instrument pieces.
• Read the lyrics: This helps you to understand the music better and is particularly good if you’re listening to new music.
• Keep it familiar: When it knows a song, your brain fills in the blanks that your ears may miss, helping to improve your listening experience.
• Remove background noise: Listen in a quiet room at home rather than in a car so you’re not having to screen out the background noise.
• Watch where you can: If you can see the person singing, you can lipread them. If they’re playing an instrument, their movements will help you make sense of the music
• Keep listening: This will get easier with practice, so keep at it.

  Here to help

  If you have any questions about your hearing health, or if you’re concerned about your or a family member’s hearing, we’re here to help. Please call our friendly team or email us to find out more.