Introducing HHF's 2016 Emerging Research Grant Recipients

By Morgan Leppla

We are excited to announce the 2016 Emerging Research Grant recipients. This year, HHF funded five research areas:

• Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD): research investigating a range of disorders within the ear and brain that affect the processing of auditory information. HHF thanks the General Grand Chapter Royal Arch Masons International for enabling us to fund four grants in the area of CAPD. 
   
• Hyperacusis: research that explores the mechanisms, causes, and diagnosis of loudness intolerance. One grant was generously funded by Hyperacusis Research.
   
• Méniere’s Disease: research that investigates the inner ear and balance disorder. One grant was funded by the Estate of Howard F. Schum.
   
• Stria: research that furthers our understanding of the stria vascularis, strial atrophy, and/or development of the stria. One grant was funded by an anonymous family foundation interested in this research.
   
• Tinnitus: research to understand the perception of sound in the ear in the absence of an acoustic stimulus. Two grants were awarded, thanks to the generosity the Les Paul Foundation and the the Barbara Epstein Foundation.

To learn more about our 2016 ERG grantees and their research goals, please visit hhf.org/2016_researchers

HHF is also currently planning for our 2017 ERG grant cycle. If you're interested in naming a research grant in any discipline within the hearing and balance space, please contact development@hhf.org.

The Les Paul Foundation Funds Music Camps, Classroom Projects, Museums, Hearing Health Programs and Veterans' Recovery

New York, New York – July 11, 2016 - The Les Paul Foundation, whose mission is to honor the legacy of Les Paul, has continued its commitment to provide funding to projects that share Les Paul’s spirit. In 2016, the recipient organizations represent issues that were important to Les Paul and share Les Paul’s vision and innovation with their programs.

“Les Paul encouraged all of us to be innovative and create opportunities so the world would become a better place,” said Michael Braunstein, Executive Director of the Les Paul Foundation. “The organizations that have received grants perpetuate many of his philosophies and ideas. This allows us at the foundation to continue his legacy and show support for his values.”

Organizations that have benefitted from recent Les Paul Foundation grants include:

Birch Creek Music Performance Center of Egg Harbor, WI offers a summer guitar master class that includes Les Paul’s inventions, experiments and recording technique.

The Bonaroo Works Fund of Nashville, TN coordinated with the Les Paul Foundation to present the first ever Les Paul Spirit Award. The Bonaroo Works Fund supports education, music and arts programs for children or communities, protection of the environment and environment sustainability, and the arts/humanities in middle Tennessee.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Martin County of Hobe Sound, FL weaves Les Paul’s contribution to rock and roll into their Les Rock program. Youth, ages 8 – 18, learn about Les’ contribution to music production including multi-tracking.

Camp Spin Off Foundation of Las Vegas, NV, provides 13-17 year olds an opportunity to learn about music production, remixing, music business and how to DJ. Campers learn how crucial Les Paul’s recording innovations were to how music is produced today.

Discovery World in Milwaukee, WI is reinforcing its Les Paul House of Sound exhibit with two new Les Paul-based school programs.

First Stage Milwaukee in Milwaukee, WI is sharing Les Paul’s stories of perseverance and innovation with elementary students. Through the dramatic process, students explore Les Paul’s inventions, his influence on the music industry, his creativity and his ability to overcome life’s challenges.

Hearing Education and Awareness for Rockers located in San Francisco, CA continues to include Les Paul in its presentations to music and sound arts schools and in its on-line presence. The organization focuses on encouraging youth to handle the power of sound in a safe manner.

The Hearing Health Foundation, headquartered in New York, NY, is the largest nonprofit supporter of hearing research. The Les Paul Foundation Award for Tinnitus Research is awarded annually to the most promising researcher studying the cause of ringing in the ears. This year’s recipient is Julia Campbell, Ph.D, Au.D, CCC-A, F-AAA, Assistant Professor, Communication Sciences and Disorders at The University of Texas at Austin.

“I am deeply honored to have received a grant award from the Les Paul Foundation to study brain function in the perception of tinnitus.  Tinnitus is a disorder that affects millions of people around the world, and yet we still have no way to measure this disorder or a cure for it.  Les Paul was an innovator, a dreamer, and a doer who loved to bring new sound into people’s lives.  I believe that his legacy is an inspiration to not only better understand tinnitus, but to use this knowledge to improve the quality of life in those it affects,” said Campbell.

Legacy Music Alliance in Salt Lake City, UT uses Les Paul’s story from the Les Paul Foundation website in guitar programs, which are taught in Utah’s schools. Musical instruments are purchased and provided to Utah schools for use by students.

Litchfield Music Alliance of Litchfield, CT hosts Nicki Parrott of the Les Paul Trio at its master classes. Nicki tells Les’ story and includes his music in her classes.

Mahwah Museum Society of Mahwah, NJ will be integrating digital technology into its permanent Les Paul exhibit to increase visitors’ access to documents, photos and videos of Les Paul.

Six String Heroes of Jefferson Barracks in O’Fallon, MO use music to help injured veterans heal physical and mental wounds. The group shares Les’ story of perseverance and how Les experienced the healing power of music.

VHI Save the Music of New York, NY receives funding for its program to reintroduce music into public schools across the United States through its supply of musical instruments to schools in need. Each school will receive copies of a student-friendly biography of Les Paul for use by students.

Waukesha Community Art Project of Waukesha, WI will relay Les Paul’s love of music and his unending curiosity and relentless search for answers to inspire students to ask their own questions and make their own discoveries.

Wisconsin School Music Association of Madison, WI will guide student musicians through the maze of music business so that they can succeed and protect their work. Les Paul’s story will illustrate for students how success comes from never giving up.

Women’s Audio Mission of San Francisco, CA focuses on advancing women in music production and technology. Les Paul’s story inspires students in their hands-on electronics projects. The organization aims to cultivate the female version of Les Paul.

For more information on the Les Paul Foundation go to www.lespaulfoundation.org. Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/lespaulfoundation or www.twitter.com/lespaulfoundation

Grant applications are accepted twice a year. http://www.lespaulfoundation.org/programs/.

PRESS CONTACT
Caroline Galloway

(440) 591-3807   caroline@m2mpr.com

2015 Emerging Research Grants Approved!

By Laura Friedman

Hearing Health Foundation is excited to announce that the 2015 Emerging Research Grants (ERG) have been approved by our Board of Directors, after a rigorous scientific review process. The areas that we are funding for the 2015 cycle are:

• Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD): Four grants were awarded for innovative research that will increase our understanding of the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of central auditory processing disorder, an umbrella term for a variety of disorders that affect the way the brain processes auditory information. All four of our CAPD grantees are General Grand Chapter Royal Arch Masons International award recipients.
  

• Hyperacusis: Two grants were awarded that is focused on innovative research (e.g., animal models, brain imaging, biomarkers, electrophysiology) that will increase our understanding of the mechanisms, causes, diagnosis, and treatments of hyperacusis and severe forms of loudness intolerance. Research that explores distinctions between hyperacusis and tinnitus is of special interest. Both of our Hyperacusis grants were funded by Hyperacuis Research.
  

• Ménière’s Disease: Two grants were awarded for innovative research that will increase our understanding of the inner ear and balance disorder Ménière’s disease. One of the grants is funded by The Estate of Howard F. Schum and the other is funded by William Randolph Hearst Foundation through their William Randolph Hearst Endowed Otologic Fellowship.
  

• Tinnitus: Two grants were awarded for innovative research that will increase our understanding of the mechanisms, causes, diagnosis, and treatment of tinnitus. One of the grants is funded by the Les Paul Foundation and the other grantee is the recipient of The Todd M. Bader Research Grant of The Barbara Epstein Foundation, Inc.

To learn more about our 2015 ERG grantees and their research proposals and goals, please visit: http://hearinghealthfoundation.org/2015_researchers

Hearing Health Foundation is also currently planning for our 2016 ERG grant cycle. If you're interested in naming a research grant in any discipline within the hearing and balance space, please contact development@hhf.org.

Les Paul, Wizard of Waukesha

By Sue Baker

Les Paul often said he learned everything he needed to know while growing up in Waukesha. I met Les Paul when I worked at the Waukesha County Museum, and wanted to put together an exhibit about him. We became good friends for what would be the last 10 years of his life (he died in 2009), and these are just some of the stories he told me.

Lester Polsfuss was born June 9, 1915, in Waukesha, Wisconsin, a city 20 miles west of Milwaukee, to a family with strong German roots. From the time he was a preschooler, Les was encouraged by his mother, Evelyn, to entertain. Les recounted how when he was 5 years old the Rotarians would lift him to a tabletop during their meetings so he could sing for them. By the time he was 8, Les disassembled a harmonica he was given to see how it worked. After reassembling it, he filled the family home with the sounds of endless harmonica practicing.

Radio was brand new when Les was growing up and he couldn’t get enough of listening to the guitar-playing country singers. When the singers came to town, Evelyn took Les to see them perform. Les wanted to be just like the guitar player Pie Plant Pete, and when the performer came to Waukesha not only was Les in the audience, he was dressed just like Pie Plant Pete, who performed in “Showboat” in a sailor suit. In fact, years later Les changed his performance name from Red Hot Red to Rhubarb Red. (“Pie plant” is another name for rhubarb.)

But playing his guitar and harmonica, and singing and telling jokes, was not enough for Rhubarb Red. As a teen, Les loved his guitar but he was sure it could sound better. After inventing a harmonica holder so his hands were free, Les pondered how to improve his guitar so he could hear just the vibration of the strings. So Les stuffed socks, rags, and a tablecloth inside the guitar. The sound was different but not quite what he wanted. Next, he filled the guitar with plaster of Paris—and that was the end of his guitar. 

Les wanted the densest material he could find to build a guitar so that only the strings would vibrate. He tried a two-foot piece of discarded iron train rail. He stretched a single guitar string down the length of the rail and plucked it. What sustain! It was crisp and just the string vibrated and it vibrated a long time. It was exactly what he wanted. He ran to share his great discovery with his mother. The usually supportive Evelyn looked at her son and said, “The day you see a cowboy riding a horse with a piece of rail…” Les knew she was right, but he also knew he had the beginning of something big.

Teenage Les was playing all over Waukesha and the surrounding area. He wanted to hear what his audiences were hearing so he built a disk-recording machine using a flywheel from his dad’s car dealership, a rubber belt from his dentist, and aluminum disks for recording. By now, Les was performing on the radio and his mother would capture his performances on his recording machine. 

Just outside of Waukesha was Beekman’s Barbeque, a popular destination. Les became a regular, playing for tips. Les was constantly honing his guitar playing. He built his own amplifier using parts of his mother’s telephone and radio. When someone in the back said they couldn’t hear his guitar, Les created his first electric guitar with parts from the family’s phonograph and another radio.

In the mid-1930s Les was playing country (hillbilly) music on Chicago radio stations as Rhubarb Red. He spent his nights learning jazz at clubs in Chicago and soon was performing with the musicians. It was in Chicago that he took the name Les Paul when he played jazz.

As a teen, Les played at Waukesha’s band shell, now known as the Les Paul Performance Center. It is being renovated in time for the centennial anniversary of his birthday this June 9.

Learn more about the legendary Les Paul and the launch of the Les Paul Ambassador program, a partnership with Hearing Health Foundation to spread the message of hearing protection. The Les Paul Ambassdaors are guitarist Lou Pallo, saxophonist Chris Potter, jazz pianist John Colianni, and DJ and composer Chill Kechil who was in our magazine as well as in our blog. For the full list of events to celebrate Les Paul’s 100th birthday, see les-paul.com.

Sue Baker is the program director at the Les Paul Foundation. 

Turning Tables for Hearing Health

By Chill Kechil

Chill Kechil is our latest Les Paul Ambassador, helping to educate musicians and others about the risks of noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus. Here, the New Jersey-based DJ and composer describes how he has managed his hearing loss while building a career in the music industry.

I found out in high school through hearing tests that I had some high frequency hearing loss. This caused me to be very aware of protection at a relatively early age. I fortunately did not go to a lot of concerts and wore earplugs way before they became commonly used. 

As I began DJing and producing music, I became aware of many technology tools that help both protect and aid me in producing music. The most common technology app is the dB (Decibel) Meter that I have on my iPhone. I also had custom earplugs made that I use when the sound in a venue is loud. When DJing, I use headphones that are best at “isolating” the sound in the headphones and reducing the outside sounds. This not only protects my hearing but also allows me to mix the next song in my headphones before playing them over the sound system to the audience. When DJs wear headphones, this is what they are usually doing—mixing the next song into the current one that is playing. 

When composing and producing music, there are several applications that I’ve found helpful. The first is a volume limiter that I use on the output channel of the mix. This prevents the signal/sound from going too loud and becoming distorted, which could damage your hearing as well as the sound equipment. 

The second is the use of a visual EQ (equalizer) monitor which allows you to “see” the frequencies of the sound being played. This indicates whether there is too much or too little sound in low to high frequencies, allowing me to mix the music better for a better listening experience. In particular, since my focus is on the high frequency areas, I use the visual EQ to monitor too much signal in that range. (There are many types of EQ tools available but I think many producers use visual monitors in one way or another.)

I also learned that, although human hearing technically ranges from 20 to 20,000 hertz (Hz), most people don’t fully hear the entire range, and in the higher and lower frequencies they may only be able to sense that there is a sound being made. A common practice in producing is to use filters to cancel and smooth out sounds below the lower and higher ends of the frequency spectrum. This prevents signals in the lower frequencies from causing unnecessary vibrations or rumbles as well as preventing artificial, “fizzy” sounds at the high frequencies. The ear is most sensitive to sound from about 2,000 to 5,000 Hz, so this is where I try to focus on minimizing peaks in the sound levels. 

Chill Kechil is donating a portion of his music and apparel proceeds to Hearing Health Foundation. Support HHF and enjoy his music at chillkechil.com. Read more about Chill Kechil in the upcoming Spring issue of Hearing Health magazine, out in April.

The Danger From Noise When It Is Actually Music

By Yishane Lee

Les Paul Ambassador

John Colianni

Noise-induced hearing loss affects anyone exposed to very loud or chronic noise. It doesn’t matter if the “noise” is actually music. It has been estimated that up to half of classical orchestral musicians have hearing loss because of their work in music, practicing or performing up to eight hours a day. Sound levels onstage, no matter the music genre, can reach up to 110 decibels (dB), although it is not usually continuous. That is equivalent to a jackhammer—even if there’s a melody behind it.

Researchers at the Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine in Poland measured the exposure for classical musicians as 81 to 90 dBA (A-weighted decibels, a unit of measure for how humans perceive sound) for 20 to 45 hours a week. In their study published in the International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics, they estimated that this exposure over the course of a career increases the risk of a hearing loss of 35 dB by 26 percent. At the greatest risk for hearing loss are those in the brass section—horn, trumpet, tuba—as well as those playing percussion, the study found.

Prolonged exposure at 85 dB (the sound of heavy traffic) will permanently damage the delicate hair cells of the inner ear, leading to hearing loss. Tinnitus, or ringing in the ears, is another potential problem. Roughly 90 percent of tinnitus cases occur with an underlying hearing loss.

Not surprisingly, rock and jazz musicians are not immune. Indeed, there are a number of well-known rock and pop musicians who have publicly discussed their hearing loss and/or tinnitus, among them Sting, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Phil Collins, and Will.i.am.

But hearing loss due to noise (or music) is completely preventable. A related study by the Polish scientists determined that brass players benefitted the most from the use of custom-molded, silicone earplugs with acoustic filters that reduced sound levels. Woodwind, percussion, and string players also benefited.

In 2013, the Les Paul Foundation and HHF teamed up to launch the Les Paul Ambassadors program. Guitar great Les Paul was determined to find a cure for hearing loss and tinnitus, and through his foundation’s support of HHF’s Hearing Restoration Project, an international research consortium of top hearing scientists, we have the opportunity to find a cure. Learn about the program and the first Ambassador, Lou Pallo, as well as our other Ambassadors saxophonist Chris Potter and jazz pianist John Colianni.

Learn more about NIHL and its risk factors, treatment, and prevention in our new Summer issue of Hearing Health magazine.

Meet Les Paul Ambassador Saxophonist Chris Potter

By Yishane Lee

Chris Potter is a world-renowned saxophonist and composer who has been living with Ménière’s disease, a hearing and balance disorder, for two decades. We’re thrilled that he is our second Les Paul Ambassador.

The Les Paul Ambassadors were created with the Les Paul Foundation to honor guitar great Les Paul, who had hearing loss and tinnitus. The program promotes awareness of tinnitus and hearing loss and the search for a cure through our groundbreaking Hearing Restoration Project.

We profile Potter in our Spring issue of Hearing Health magazine. Here is an excerpt:

“I got Ménière’s disease in my mid-20s. I’ve lost pretty much all my hearing in my left ear—there’s just ringing. It was absolutely terrifying. I was getting episodes of dizziness, and my hearing would go up and down. In the meantime, I’d have to wake up at 5 a.m. and take three flights to get to a performance that night—when I didn’t even know if I would be able to stand up.

“It was very stressful, as was not knowing if it would happen in both ears, but I somehow made it through. It’s something you get used to. But the vertigo alone is life-altering. You don’t feel comfortable making plans.”

Potter tried various treatments with different degrees of success. He shares his story in an effort to show solidarity with other musicians who have hearing issues, and to help HHF find a cure for hearing loss and tinnitus.

Read more from Potter’s candid interview about being a musician with hearing loss and Ménière’s disease.

Learn more about the amazing Les Paul, who died in 2009 at age 94, and the industry-altering advances he made in the world of music production and technology. His dear friend Lou Pallo, a guitar hero in his own right, was our first Les Paul Ambassador.

Cue the Music

By Yishane Lee

Along with wrapping up holiday gifts, we are also busy wrapping up the Winter 2014 issue of Hearing Health, available in January.

Our cover story is about legendary guitar great Les Paul, and the launch of the Les Paul Ambassadors. The Les Paul Ambassadors are an exciting partnership between HHF and the Les Paul Foundation to support our search for a cure for hearing loss and tinnitus as well as educate consumers about this topic. We’re thrilled that Lou Pallo, a longtime friend of Les Paul and a talented musician in his own right, is our first Ambassador helping to spread the word.

Les Paul, who had a hearing loss and tinnitus, is the inspiration for our special music issue. Enjoying music can be a challenge for people who have a hearing loss, partly because hearing aids favor the voice of one speaker above background noise, and what is music if not many speakers and a lot of so-called noise?

As staff writer and audiologist Barbara Jenkins more eloquently explains:

“Hearing aids have been developed to maximize clarity of speech understanding, but to do this they must reduce non-speech sounds—which are the very elements that enhance musical or environmental sounds. Even though you may hear music better with your hearing aids than without them, most speech enhancement programs by necessity end up distorting music.”

Jenkins has plenty of helpful tips for optimizing your hearing aids to enjoy listening to music, and beyond merely engaging the music program in your hearing aid. Look for “The Sounds of Music” in our Winter issue.

You have probably heard of the cochlear implant (CI), but what about the hybrid CI? It can also help users enjoy music. The hybrid makes use of—and aims to preserve—residual hearing. Particularly in age-related hearing loss, residual hearing is usually in the low frequencies. So by combining this residual, low frequency hearing with high frequency hearing that has been amplified by the implant, the hybrid CI user has a fuller, rounder hearing experience.

Look for our story about hybrid CIs, written by Lina Reiss, Ph.D., a 2013 Second-Year HHF Emerging Research Grant (ERG) recipient, along with an ERG alumnus, Christopher Turner, Ph.D., who has published more than 20 papers on the topic. In addition, researchers at the University of Washington recently announced a new harmonic algorithm that allows CI users to better hear music, which we will detail in “Hearing Headlines.”

Finally, we have contributions from musicians who have hearing loss. Wendy Cheng started an association of amateur musicians with hearing loss, now 10 years old, and Nancy Williams is a member of HHF’s board and a pianist who has performed at New York City’s Carnegie Hall. Underscoring all these stories is the work our Hearing Restoration Project, which is working toward a cure for hearing loss and tinnitus—and the ability to once again enjoy music to its fullest.

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