“The clarity and balance of my in-ear monitors make recording and practice much more fun and less tiring. I love ’em!”
Rick Finlay – West End drummer
Author: Mandy Lewis
Rita Ora ‘Open Jaw’ impressions for In-ear monitors
Rita Ora ‘Open Jaw’ impressions for In-ear monitors
Rita popped by to have her ‘open jaw’ impressions taken.
We specialise in hearing protection for musicians; which is why we are recommended audiologists for all the major in-ear monitor companies.
Microsuction instant wax removal now available
Microsuction instant wax removal now available
For instant wax removal Microsuction -the most effective form of wax removal-is now available for £80. We also carry out Irrigation. For more information on both methods click here.
Call 020 7486 1053 or complete below
Risk of hearing loss warning
Risk of hearing loss warning
Some 1.1 billion teenagers and young adults worldwide are at risk of hearing loss due to the unsafe use of personal audio devices, including smartphones, and exposure to damaging levels of sound at noisy entertainment venues such as nightclubs, bars and sporting events, according to the World Health Organisation.
Hearing loss has potentially devastating consequences for physical and mental health, education and employment.
To mark International Ear Care Day, March 3rd, WHO have launched the “Make Listening Safe” initiative to draw attention to the dangers of unsafe listening and promote safer practices. For more details read WHO make listening safe
If you have any concerns, call us now for a hearing test and/or hearing protection.
At Musicians Hearing Services we specialise in all aspects of hearing to enhance your listening pleasure and communication in everyday life. We’ve been serving the entertainment industry for 25 years, so, whether you want advice or impressions for in-ear monitors and musicians hearing protection; or hearing tests and advice on tinnitus or hearing loss call or complete below
Musicians Hearing Services now in the North West of England
Musicians Hearing Services now in the North West of England
Jessica Jane Stafford (actress & tv star) officially opened our sister company North West Hearing and Musicians Hearing Services North in Cheadle. Jessica Jane has been wearing Lyrics – the only “fit and forget” completely invisible hearing aid “for the past three years.
“Since having my baby I feel confident at night that I will hear him crying at night when I’m asleep. People shouldn’t be embarrassed about hearing loss, it is much more common than you think. I’d recommend anyone who isn’t sure what to do to just call it really could change your life.”
If you live in the North West and need any advice on any hearing issues; our hearing healthcare experts will be delighted to help. Call 0161 491 1943
Guests at the launch included Jessica Jane Stafford, local councillors and media.
Morris Stemp Musicians Union-North of England Regional Secretary, Geraldine Daly – North West Hearing Director & Founder of Musicians Hearing Services and Julian Munro – Orchestra Manager-Royal Liverpool Philharmonic attended the launch.
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Lyric is the only “fit and forget” completely invisible hearing aid which is only available at Lyric Centres – it is not available in any high street stores.
North West Hearing is the new sister company of Harley Street Hearing – London’s Leading Independent Hearing Clinics
It is now also incorporating Musicians Hearing Services North who have been serving the entertainment industries needs for hearing protection for 25 years.
University of Leeds – Hearing Aids for Music
University of Leeds – Hearing Aids for Music
Do you experience problems listening to music? Harley Street Hearing are pleased to support ‘Hearing Aids for Music’, a research project exploring how hearing aids affect the enjoyment and perception of music.
Exploring the music listening behaviour of people with hearing impairments
‘Hearing aids for music’ is a collaborative project between the University of Leeds and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust investigating how music listening experiences are affected by deafness, hearing impairments and the use of hearing aids.
The project is led by Music Psychologist, Dr Alinka Greasley, and Dr Harriet Crook, Lead Clinical Scientist for Complex Hearing Loss. The research has been awarded funding worth £247,295 from the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
Music is an important part of people’s lives and can have powerful physical, social, and emotional effects on individuals, including those with all levels of hearing impairment – even the profoundly deaf. The purpose of hearing aids is to amplify speech, and evidence suggests that many hearing aid users experience problems when listening to music, such as acoustic feedback, distortion and reduced tone quality.
It will be the first academic research project in which data from clinical audiology will be used alongside psychological data to systematically explore how hearing aids affect music listening, whether listening to a CD at home or going to a live symphony or rock concert.
The team aim to help audiologists discuss music listening issues with their patients and also benefit manufacturers of hearing aids by providing a basis for improved digital signal processing.
Improved access to music using hearing aids will benefit people of all ages, facilitating music education for deaf children and young people, music listening and performance in adulthood, and continued musical engagement into old age.
Harley Street Hearing & Musicians’ Hearing Services are pleased to support the team who are currently conducting a short clinic survey. To take part, please ask your audiologist at Harley Street Hearing for a music listening survey or email the team here
You can also find out more about the project here
Eric Hill – Playing and listening to music again
Playing and listening to music, especially the acoustic classical guitar, has been central to my life. After far too many years putting up with tinnitus, (a hissing radiator sound), and a habit of frequently asking people to repeat words, I conquered my professional musician, psychological barriers to wearing hearing aids and sought help.
I first tried the NHS and discovered that the free hearing aids made violins in particular sound like chalk scraping on a blackboard. A love of music was not made very important in the consultation; it was all about recognition of words. I decided to “go private” and came to Paul Checkley at Musicians’ Hearing Services.
I was fitted with a pair of extremely discrete Widex hearing aids and I played my guitar and listened to orchestral and jazz music as part of the computer “tuning” of the aids. This was in addition to an exhaustive analysis of my response to words.
The result has been wonderful, particularly as I have learned to control them using the remote wireless volume control. At the start of orchestral concerts I establish the loudest part, (usually the brass section), and adjust to that. I love starting the day by putting BBC Radio 3 on and hearing the music come alive as I put the aids in place. Without them it sounds as if it’s been smothered in cotton wool! Thank you Paul and Musicians’ Hearing Services.
Interested in hearing aids for musicians call 020 7486 1053 or complete below.
David Temple – Conductor
“Hearing loss for anyone can be hard to cope with but if you are conductor of music, it can be career threatening.
A couple of years ago, I acquired a hearing aid on the NHS which I was reasonably happy with but in the past year I have gone for a new ‘in-ear’ hearing aid from the North London Hearing clinic in Golders Green.
This has transformed my life and has restored my hearing to how it was when I was young man.
Not only is this brilliant in rehearsals and concerts but it makes a massive difference in recording sessions, where I can wear headphones as normal, without having to take my hearing aid in and out.
Regrets?….. the only one is that I didn’t do it 5 years earlier. It is not cheap but it improves your quality of life beyond words.”
Interested in hearing aids for musicians. Call 020 7486 1053 or complete below.
Rihanna and Musicians Hearing Services live in Germany
Rihanna and Musicians Hearing Services live in Germany
The Harley Street Hearing and Musicians Hearing Services group have been going global recently. Our practice was contacted by one of the biggest names in the music industry, Rihanna, to take ear impressions for in-ear monitors.
Rihanna the chart topping, eight time Grammy award winning artist who has millions of gold and platinum (riaa) song certifications is on the European leg of her ANTI world tour. She is set to travel to 18 different countries around Europe, with her shows in the UK going down a storm.
She was due to perform in Hamburg, Germany on Saturday the 9th of July. This is where our journey with Rihanna began.
The call came in late Thursday from Rihanna’s tour manager; she needed impressions taken for new in ear monitors and we had come highly recommended.
They were currently in Copenhagen, but were set to travel to Germany for Saturdays show. Could we help? “OF COURSE!” We reminded them of the minor detail that our practice and our audiologists were based in London or Manchester, this was not a problem, they arranged flights to and from Hamburg, with accommodation for an overnight stay.
“I was the chosen audiologist to go & packed my bags and the equipment I needed; and was on the Heathrow express from Paddington station to terminal 5.
Arriving in Hamburg I was met by Martin the driver who took me to the Park Hyatt Hotel in the centre of the city. Driving through the cities suburbs Martin pointed out the Rotherbaum tennis arena, and the University of Hamburg.
All checked in to the hotel, I received a call from Rhianna’s tour manager. He was going to send a driver to pick me up at 8 o’clock to bring me to the arena, so I could watch the show and then be on standby, as I was going to take impressions after her performance.
Jan (the runner for the tour) picked me up, he joked that he needed to find “roasted salted cashew nuts”, which by the sounds of it were not that readily available in Germany. We eventually found a supermarket which stocked these and the jubilation on Jan’s face was priceless; we could finally head to the arena.
On arrival a VIP badge was hoisted around my neck, I was shown to the golden circle where I could watch the show which had already started. Rhianna put in a great performance, her hit single “Work” being the highlight. How ironic, here I was in Hamburg, AT WORK, with Rihanna……
The show was over. Buzzing from her performance it was my time to shine! I was shown into her dressing room at around half past midnight, Rihanna stood up shook my hand and asked me where I was from. “London” I replied. We exchanged conversation, discussing rumours of playing perform at Glastonbury. Mimicking my English accent with playful jest I then took 2 sets of impressions.
We hugged, I wished her good luck for the rest of her tour, then I was driven back to the hotel by Jan as we joked about the “salted roasted cashew nuts”.
After breakfast Sebastian drove me to the airport the following morning. He noted that Hamburg was the city with the most bridges in Europe, more than Venice (an interesting fact).
On the flight back to London I reflected on my trip to Hamburg and how incredible Rhianna’s performance and her kind and approachable personality were.”
The ear impressions were then sent to a manufacturer in the United States who produce high performance in-ear-monitors.
In ear monitors are a small wireless device, worn by the performer, which would deliver the monitor mix directly to the ear at a volume that could be personally controlled. The in-ear-monitor gives around 30 dB sound isolation which in turn protects the performer’s ears.
It is fantastic that stars such as Rihanna are taking steps to protecting their hearing, as a big drive by the World Health Organisation recently aims to tackle preventable hearing loss caused by noise.
There are a number of solutions for individuals of any age to start protecting their hearing. Take a look at our website
Jack Stancel-Lewis – Audiologist – Harley Street Hearing & Musicians Hearing Services.
If you need ear impressions or any advice on hearing issues call 020 7486 1053 or complete below.
I can enjoy the beautiful sound of my Martin acoustic guitar again
I began playing electric guitar in my teens, and have been touring with my band, The Boomtown Rats, since 1974, which means my ears have been subjected to high volumes of sound for most of my life.
About four years ago, I became aware that I was finding it increasingly difficult to take part in group conversations. I couldn’t hear clearly what people were saying, and, rather than continuously asking everyone to repeat themselves, or telling them off for their poor diction, I would often limit myself to smiling and nodding, sometimes inappropriately, instead of being an active participant.
The television at home would always be at close to maximum volume, with the treble turned up full, and it was the same when I listened to music. I even got rid of a nice acoustic guitar, as I thought it had begun to sound dull.
My father suffered from deafness from his mid-fifties but he was too proud to use the hearing aids which were available at the time. I had some sympathy with him, as they were the sort of bulky, ugly appliances which have given rise to the expression “hearing-aid beige”. However, it was sad to see him become more and more isolated and I did not want to go the same way as him.
Eventually, I accepted that I must have a problem with my own hearing.
A friend told me that a guitar hero of mine, who I knew suffered from deafness as a result of being exposed to ridiculous levels of onstage volume since the 1960s, had been to Harley Street Hearing and was now using Phonak hearing aids, so I telephoned them and made an appointment for a hearing assessment.
This turned out to be the best thing I have done for myself in a very long time.
I now use a pair of Phonak hearing aids, which are practically invisible, and they have transformed my life.
I can now hear the full spectrum of audible frequencies and can enjoy the beautiful sound of my Martin acoustic guitar again.
Thank you, Harley Street Hearing & Musicians’ Hearing Services!
Garrick Roberts
If you have any hearing issues call 020 7486 1053 or complete below.
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