A SOUND EAR II - Association of British Orchestras

A SOUND EAR II
Photo - Claire Tregaskis
5
Introduction
In 2001 A Sound Ear set out a balanced overview of the risks and solutions relating to noise in orchestras. It was
based on information in the public domain, unpublished reports held by orchestras here and in Europe, the informally
expressed opinions of managers, players and researchers, and research involving more than 500 players.
A Sound Ear was funded by the Musicians Benevolent Fund (MBF), the European Union (EU), and the Association of
British Orchestras (ABO) and assisted by the Musicians Union (MU). It was launched at the 2001 conference of the
British Association of Performing Arts Medicine, and featured at a number of ABO conferences. The MBF also funded
training for 10 symphony orchestras.
The production of A Sound Ear II has been prompted by the recognition of a need to provide a clearer map for actually
managing noise control, and by the new lower legal limits for noise exposure which make noise control a daily issue for
most orchestras. The MBF is, again, strongly supporting the work as they prefer to prevent avoidable harm rather than
console musicians who reach the end of the road.
The over-arching lesson from A Sound Ear was that noise management must be integrated into the daily life of an
orchestra, and be controlled by management in consultation with players. Noise control is not a one-off issue, nor is it
something for the players to sort out: noise control requires permanent change, and is a core management function.