Lost Hearing As An Adult
Is it Music to Your Ears?
What Adult Users Of Advanced Bionics Cochlear Implants Are Saying About Listening To Music...
The following statements were obtained from cochlear implant users in response to questions about their experiences listening to music before and after receiving a cochlear implant. The statements depict the unique experience of each individual and are not intended to be predictive or descriptive of the musical experiences of others.
Liz Hupp: For Christmas, my husband gave me one of those spiffy headsets that cancel noise (like on the airplane) that are also just really good headphones. I hook those up to an iPod and I can hear better than I ever thought I could. They block out any distracting background noise, so it's perfect for "auditory therapy." Earlier, when I was deciding to try listening to music again, I tried out the iPod in the Apple store with my neck loop. The sales person was about the same age as me, and he helped me find a song I would know. (The first thing he suggested was Benny Goodman and I could have socked him. I'm not *that* old!) We picked Simon and Garfunkel "Bridge over Troubled Water." This guy was fascinated by the concept of teaching my brain to hear music again. The song was pretty much just fuzz the first time, so we played it again. Suddenly I heard the words pop out from all the fuzz, "like a bridge over troubled water"--and it had melody!! "I heard it!!!" and I started to cry. "I'm sorry, I just never thought I'd ever hear it again..." His eyes got so big! I apologized for taking so much of his time when I wasn't going to buy (yet), and he profusely disagreed, saying it was totally fascinating and he'd learned SO much!
Janis McAtee: When I was still using hearing aids and my hearing loss was not as severe, I could clearly hear music. But as my hearing decreased, I lost the harmony, then the words altogether, and could only hear the bass (i.e., drums, bass saxophone, etc.). As a CI user, I have always been able to hear music as most people would like to. In March 2001, a couple of weeks after I was connected to the implant, my friend showed up with a set of 12 CDs that ran the gamut of music genres (jazz, blues, country, rock, and critter/nature sounds). He had pre-listened to these CDs and would quiz me as to what I had heard. When I missed a sound-critter, nature sound, musical instrument, etc.-he would point out the sound. I started out with instrumentals only, which was fun and relaxing. Then I started focusing on one kind of music and one artist. As I mastered one artist, I moved to another. By discovering nuances in their music, voices, words, and instruments, I would hear and remember the sound and redeveloped my ear for music.
Jeremy Nyquist: I have never had what may be referred to as perfect pitch. But in high school, I sang in the choir and played saxophone. When I lost hearing in both ears, I had to give up singing in the church choir because I couldn't tell if I was on the right hymn, let alone the right verse. This was with two hearing aids. I heard poorly when I attended concerts, but went anyway because my wife enjoys music. After getting my first cochlear implant, my ability to hear music improved, but my singing made my wife uncomfortable. When I had the second implant, there was a marked improvement. I can detect which instruments are prominent, a discovery that makes my eyes water with joy. With both implants, I've braved singing along with the congregation. I think that I may even try singing in the church choir again.
Ruth Walworth: Music was a big part of my life until I lost my hearing. Then, with two hearing aids, I could understand my favorite music that I knew prior to my hearing loss. My brain would fill in the missing parts because it was so familiar to me. I could not understand new music, and I missed music in my life and was tired of the same songs. I received my CI in February 2002. (I continue to use a hearing aid in the other ear.) That first summer, I heard a saxophone solo, and I was in tears. Recently, I have been introduced to the music of Chris Botti, a trumpet player. Most of his music has soft piano and/or drum background, and his trumpet is so sweet to my ears. His music is relaxing and a big part of my life now. I still have trouble making sense of other music.
April Hubbell: I just had to share the CI moment that I had been dreaming of for a long time. One of the main reasons I chose Advanced Bionics and High Resolution was because I thought it would be better for music. This past weekend my favorite musical group played a concert in San Diego. I waited until the last minute to get tickets because I didn't know how well I'd be hearing only three weeks after hook up of my cochlear implant. I've been listening to their music on CD these past weeks and it's good but it has been six years since I last heard them play live. The concert sounded so great I could hardly believe it. I was sitting in the back of an outdoor amphitheater and it sounded like they were singing in my ear. I could hear the acoustic guitar, piano, bass and drums. The only thing I had a little trouble hearing was the electric guitar. It was a great feeling to really experience the music again. After the show the band came out and signed autographs so I got to meet them as well. While I was getting my CD signed the lead singer asked if I enjoyed the show. I told him, "Three weeks ago I was profoundly deaf and didn't know if I'd ever hear music again. I am thrilled to be able to enjoy your music once more." His eyes got big with surprise and he asked how it was possible for me to hear again. I explained what a CI is and he seemed amazed. I feel so lucky to have my music back.
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