Pure tone audiometry showed that threshold varied as a function
of instrument group and frequency region. Brasses and
percussion/basses had the highest thresholds, bordering on clinically
significant losses in the 4000e6000 Hz region. These differences
across groups could not be explained by age, years of playing,
or years of playing professionally, and are thus most likely due to
differences in occupational noise exposure. Brass players also had
the highest level of noise exposure (10 dB or greater than strings
and woodwinds between 4000 and 8000 Hz). These findings are
consistent with previous noise-exposure surveys (Schmidt et al.,
2011) and audiometric investigations (Jansen et al., 2009), which
raises some concern about long-term hearing health of brass
players. Nonetheless, it is important to acknowledge that at the