Denna rapport var en kvalitativ empirisk intervjustudie där fyra lärare deltog som alla hade någon form av hörselproblematik. Syftet var att undersöka hur lärare med hörselskador upplever buller i den egna arbetsmiljön. Vidare var syftet att undersöka lärarnas sätt att hantera den problematik som hörselskadan medför i deras arbetsmiljö. Informanterna utsattes för, i deras mening, höga ljudnivåer mellan 1-4 timmar per arbetsdag. När det gällde hur hörselproblemen påverkade dem i deras yrkesutövande upplevde lärarna att det medförde det vissa positiva effekter, då genom en ökad disciplin bland eleverna samt minskade ljudnivåer i klassrummet. Det påverkade dem även negativt då genom exempelvis svårigheter att alltid uppfatta vad elever sa, trötthet samt deltidssjukskrivning. Sättet informanterna hanterade hörselproblemen var bl.a. genom att läsa på läppar och genomtänkta pedagogiska val för att underlätta för dem utifrån deras specifika hörselproblem. Lärarna i studien betonade även vikten av att ha en god ordning på lektionerna för att minska ljudnivån, de var även noga med att berätta för eleverna om sin hörselproblematik vilket gjorde att eleverna försökte hålla ner judnivån tack vare visad hänsyn. / The report was an empirical qualitative interview study in which all four teachers who participated had some form of hearing problem. The aim of the study was to determine how teachers with hearing impairment perceive noise in their working environment. Furthermore, the aim was to examine teachers' ways of dealing with the problems that occur in their working environment due to their hearing impairment. The subjects were exposed to, in their view, high noise levels during 1-4 hours per working day. When questioned about how their disabilities affected them in the workplace, some positive effects where observed. In particular it led to increased discipline among the students as well as an improved working environment. Some negative effects were also observed. Such as having difficulties understanding conversations due to hearing impairment, fatigue and part-time sick leave. The informants handled auditory problems by lip-reading and adapting their educational techniques based on their specific hearing problems. The teachers in this study stressed the importance of maintaining good order during in the classroom in order to reduce noise, furthermore they informed their students about his or her hearing problem which encouraged students to minimize noise out of respect for the teacher's disability.

This investigation sought to identify sound levels potentially harmful to directors' hearing, and examine the effects of band size, instrumentation, bandroom and playing ability on sound levels. The subjects were 2 elementary, 2 middle, and 4 high school bands, in 7 rooms, 10 to 66 members, and 26 students, beginning and advanced. A sound level meter was used. Sounds were measured in flat and A-weighted decibels. Sounds measured were steady state (>.5 sec.) and impulse (<.5 sec.). Results were compared with safety limits of OSHA, EPA and Baughn's study of safety limits (1966). Results show exceedences of limits used for comparison. Small rehearsal areas and younger players seemed to cause high levels in the tests. Further testing may prove potential hazards.

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur musiker ser på begrepp som ljudnivå, musikupplevelse och relationen mellan dessa. Underlaget för studien är sex intervjuer med musiker och ljudtekniker, med och utan hörselskador. Studien byggs på sex kvalitativa intervjuer och är avgränsad till att i första hand behandla detta inom musikstilar vilka är baserade på trummor och bas – pop/rock, jazz/blues. Studiens resultat visar att parametrar som t.ex. genre, lokal, ljudteknik, ljudtekniker och arrangör har inverkan på det ljud och den ljudnivå som uppnås vid en konsert. Vidare redovisas respondenternas syn på relationen mellan ljudnivåer och musikupplevelse. Samtliga respondenter menar att ljudvolymen har en stor betydelse för den musikaliska upplevelsen och att faktorer som lokalens utformning och musikens genre har stor betydelse för upplevelsen av lämplig ”ljudbild”. / The purpose of this study is to investigate musicians’ opinions about terms such as sound level, musical experience, and the relation between them. The basis for the study is six interviews with musicians and sound engineers, some with and some without hearing disorders. The study is limited to primarily focus on musical styles that are based on drums and bass – jazz/blues, pop/rock. The result demonstrates that parameters like genre, room, technical equipment, sound engineers and arrangers all have influence on the sound and the sound level at a concert. Also – the respondents’ different views on the relationship between sound level and musical experience are presented. All the respondents think that volume is of great significance for the total experience of the music and the feelings it brings. They also believe that factors like the interior and form of the room/venue and the musical genre are of great importance for the experience of proper sound and sound environment.

Sound levels in live sound reinforcement have long been a topic for debate in live concerts, but the subject is also important elsewhere. Swedish Christian free churches have also struggled for many years to optimize how sound reinforcement can serve the community. There are many different factors affecting the sound level preferences in live sound reinforcement environments. Among them are perception of loudness, musical preferences, hearing impairments and tolerances. This bachelor thesis investigated if musical preference affected the perceived loudness and/or the preferred listening level through a set of listening tests and qualitative surveys. It was investigated in one Swedish free church congregation, from which 16 subjects participated. The listening test was conducted with three parts: loudness matching stimuli to a pink noise, setting the preferred listening level of the stimuli and rating the preference of the stimuli. Subsequently, a survey after a service was conducted to investigate different factors affecting the experience. No connection between music preference and loudness perception or preferred level wasfound. However, the study did produce multiple findings that reveal factors affecting the sound level preferences in the chosen congregation, such as hearing impairments, expectations on the role of sound in worship services, and the balance of instruments. These findings revealed differences in opinion regarding the mix philosophy used in services, and the impact of these approaches on members of the congregation. Altogether, the findings point to recommendations and considerations for live sound engineers working in worship environments.