Facilities for Music Education and Their Acoustical Design

Abstract

Good rehearsal facilities for musicians are essential. Directive 2003/10/EC necessitates that musicians are protected from noise exposure. A code of conduct gives the guidelines how this should be done. This study examines room acoustics recommendations provided by the Finnish code of conduct, and discusses whether they are adequate. Small teaching facilities were measured after renovation and compared to earlier measurements. Teachers' opinions were inquired about the facilities before and after. The renovation did not decrease the noise exposure of the teachers. However, the majority preferred the facilities after the renovation. The Finnish code of conduct is not sufficient for facilities where loud instruments are played, or band practise. Good facilities can be designed but they must be specified at the designing stage for their intended use.

Caracterização da qualidade acústica de salas de aula para prática e ensino musical

“…Por causa disso, na caracterização acústica de salas de ensino e prática musical é imprescindível considerar parâmetros relacionados à qualidade tanto da música quanto da palavra falada, já que esta é importante no processo de ensino, de forma que permita o adequado desenvolvimento profissional de um músico. Nesse sentido, os pré-requisitos acústicos essenciais para salas pequenas de música, com volume menor que 500 m 3 , devem ser elevada isolação sonora, tempos de reverberação curtos e uma distribuição homogênea das reflexões sonoras (TEUBER;VÖELKER, 1993;KOSKINEN;TOPPILA;OLKINUORA, 2010;OSMAN, 2010;HATLEVIK, 2012).…”

Negative Effect of Acoustic Panels on Listening Effort in a Classroom Environment

“…Empirical evidence indicates that as acoustic treatment increases, rather than decreases, risk to the musician's well-being increases because the room is perceived as not having sufficient intensity. The lack of perceived volume, then, results in individuals exerting greater biomechanical force with their instruments (Owens, 2003;Koskinen et al, 2010).…”

The Effect of Wearing Foam and Etymotic Earplugs on Classical Musicians’ Pitch Perception

“…For example, Behar et al (2018) found sound attenuation for acoustical shields was between 5.8 and 10.7 dB for solo performers, but Luo et al (2018) determined that in authentic orchestral settings, the same shields were not effective due to sound diffusion from both sides of the shield. Koskinen et al (2010) found that acoustical damping treatments decreased sound reverberation time but overall did not reduce music teachers’ sound exposure. When it is not feasible to alter the conditions of the music rehearsal/performance environment, or when treatments are inadequate, exposure to high SPLs may be reduced through the use of properly fitted and inserted earplugs (Woolford et al, 1988).…”