Mass. Eye and Ear Teams Up with Spotify, Berklee College of Music to Help Prevent Noise-induced Hearing Loss

BOSTON (May 19, 2015) –Steven Rauch, M.D., Mass. Eye and Ear hearing and balance expert and Harvard Medical School Professor of Otology and Laryngology, has joined forces with Berklee College of Music to help Spotify listeners prevent hearing loss caused by loud noise.

Dr. Rauch, along with Sharon Kujawa, PhD, and M. Charles Liberman, PhD, two renowned Mass. Eye and Ear/Harvard Medical School hearing research experts, were part of a program recently held at Berklee called "Just the Right Volume: An Essential Conversation About Hearing."

Public service announcements* (MP3 file) were recorded following the informational session, and five of the PSAs were selected to be broadcast to the world on Spotify -- starting on May 19. The PSAs were recorded in the Berklee studios accompanied by original music by Berklee students.

 The PSAs that will be broadcast include:

•  Dr.  Rauch -- Mass. Eye and Ear clinician/researcher  (music = "Tell Me feat. Leyeux" by Shao Jean Sim and John McGimsey Snyder; text by Dr. Rauch)

• Myran Parker-Brass -- Boston Public Schools Arts Administrator (music = "Believe" by KC feat. Davora; [Burnett Music Group]; text by D. Hanley)

•  Kate Lovell -- Berklee Assistant to the Dean/Business Administrator (music = "Sound of Summer" by Fever Charm; [Burnett Music Group] text by D. Hanley)

• Elizabeth (Libby) Allison -- Berklee Music Education Professor (music = "Grover's Groove" by MonoMyth Media; text by E. Allison)

•  Joan Mahoney -- Resident of Linden Ponds Retirement Community in Hingham, MA (music = "World of Love" by Andrew Smith; text by D. Hanley)

“ We are very excited to be partnering with Spotify on this project," said Dr. Rauch. "The network's 60 million listeners, many of whom are young people at risk of hearing loss from loud-sound exposure, who will be getting this important message about noise injury prevention.”

For more information about the program, visit https://www.berklee.edu/news/experts-talk-berklee-about-prevalence-hearing-loss-and-importance-protection?ss=203706 

*Transcript of PSA (PDF).