One member of the Piano Technicians Guild is Diane Hofstetter, who is also a member of the National Hearing Conservation Association, a certified Occupational Hearing Conservationist and a licensed Hearing Instrument Specialist, whose interest and expertise includes human hearing in addition to piano service. Diane has long thought that PTG should provide more member services with regard to our hearing, and I very much agree. To that end, Diane has agreed to serve as moderator for a new email discussion list at ptg.org. This list will be somewhat different from other PTG lists. This particular list will be intended as a resource to members of the Piano Technicians Guild who are looking for reliable information about hearing issues. This new list will be moderated. It is hoped that individual subscribers will be comfortable enough in the new format to discuss the details of their own hearing issues. The reason for moderating this list is because hearing involves special expertise outside the normal expertise of the piano technician and members need to treat each other with particular sensitivity to this kind of an issue. We need help with our hearing and we need accurate information that we can trust. Many of our members have issues with their hearing, as Diane learned when she started selling earplugs at PTG conventions 10 years ago. Let us share with each other our experiences so that we will not feel alone with our hearing problems and so that together we can find solutions. Please read the following information, guides, and policies about the new list. If you are interested in subscribing, please go to http://ptg.org/mailman/listinfo/hearing to send a subscription request. PTG members only, please. Kent Swafford ABOUT HEARING at PTG.ORG This list exists so that members of The Piano Technicians’ Guild can help each other with questions about our hearing – especially as they relate to the specific needs of a piano technician. Helen Keller, when asked if she could have one of her senses restored, which one she would choose, chose hearing. She said that the loss of sight separates us from things, but the loss of hearing separates us from people. Our hearing is vitally important. The piano technician who has hearing problems may have problems with the people who are near to him, and also with his clientele and with the ability to perform well as a tuner and voicer. He/she faces discord at home over miscommunications, the potential of losing clients and even possibly losing his livelihood. To make matters even worse, he loses touch with music. User Guide: A personal introduction by each subscriber will be welcomed. When discussing problems arising from your own hearing loss, it is helpful, but not mandatory, to post your audiogram numbers using the following format: (listing the dBs for 250 Hz, 500Hz, 1000Hz, 2000Hz, 3000Hz, 4000Hz, 6000Hz, 8000Hz. For example: R 10, 15, 15, 20, 35, 45, 55, 70 L 15, 15, 20, 25, 40, 50, 60, 75 Posting your numbers allows others to understand your issues better and also helps them to learn what kinds of problems someone with numbers like these might have. It will eventually help a person understand his/her own numbers better. Terms of Use: By subscribing to this list, each subscriber agrees to the following Terms of Use: 1. Since it is important that this list provide good, accurate information, and since the subject of hearing is generally outside the area of expertise of piano tuners, this list shall be "moderated". The decisions of the list moderator(s) shall be final. 2. Others may be invited by the moderators for their particular expertise or interesting hearing situation that they can bring to the discussion. Please contact the moderators at hearing at ptg.org to suggest a person you think might add to the list. 3. All list members agree to respect the privacy of the hearing at ptg.org discussions. Personal information that has been posted to this list shall not be shared with anyone outside of this list.
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