Questionnaire about c.i. For science project

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JessieN

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Hello Everyone!
I am a 13-year old student who is doing a science project on cochlear implants. I became fascinated with them after a young boy (age 3) that I know became completely deaf after getting mendigitis. I am also very interested in music and have often wondered how someone with cochlear implants hear music. Would you mind answering a few questions for me? I so much appreciate this. I want everyone I know to know more about cochlear implants. I feel they are truly a blessing.

1. How old are you?

2. Have you been deaf your entire life? If not, how long were you deaf before you received the implants?

3. Do you listen to music? and how often?

4. What type of music interest you the most; another words I am wondering if certain pitches sound more relevant than other's which make you more attracted to a certain type of music?

5. Through my research it seems as if people with c.i.'s hear voices through a computerized type voice, and that getting expression on certain words is something that they are working on. Is this true to you?

6. If the last question is true, does every music artist's voice sound the same?

7. If you have lost your hearing later in life, how has the sound of music changed for you (THIS IS A BIGGY QUESTION)? Can you describe how the melodies sound to you now?

8. If you are just now listening to music for the first time since receiving your implants, what can you say, is the central most important element pertaining to music that you can think of?

9. Since receiving your implants is there something else that you would like to share or that you would like those of us that hear to know about you?

THANK YOU soooooo very much for your time in helping me with this. People at this site seem so friendly and just willing to help each other. What a true blessing that is.

THANK YOU, Jessica Dee from Alabama
 
1. How old are you?

2. Have you been deaf your entire life? If not, how long were you deaf before you received the implants?

No. I became profoundly deaf at age 24 -- ten years prior to receiving my first CI.

3. Do you listen to music? and how often?

Yes. I listen to music every day.

4. What type of music interest you the most; another words I am wondering if certain pitches sound more relevant than other's which make you more attracted to a certain type of music?

I enjoy all kinds of music, but my favorite genre is smooth jazz. I also enjoy classical as well as rock/pop music from the 70s and 80s.

5. Through my research it seems as if people with c.i.'s hear voices through a computerized type voice, and that getting expression on certain words is something that they are working on. Is this true to you?

After my CI was activated, everything sounded metallic and unnatural. However, over time, speech and environmental sounds became clearer and sounded exactly as I remembered when I wore hearing aids. There is an initial adjustment period that all CI users must go through (in terms of sounds and voices being metallic, robotic, raspy, etc.), but the longer a person wears his/her CI, the more natural and realistic sounds/voices become.

6. If the last question is true, does every music artist's voice sound the same?

In the beginning, all music sounded the same. During my first month of activation, all I could hear was percussion. Over time, I was able to hear vocals as well as individual instruments. By 6 months post activation, music of all genres sounded just like it did with hearing aids -- only better.

7. If you have lost your hearing later in life, how has the sound of music changed for you (THIS IS A BIGGY QUESTION)? Can you describe how the melodies sound to you now?

After I lost my hearing, music sounded weak and distorted. All I could hear were percussion and male vocals (depending on how much it overlapped other instruments/keyboards). Now with my CIs, music sounds absolutely wonderful -- crisp, clear and very detailed. I have no difficulty hearing melodies and can easily hear intonation, timbre and staccato in both male and female vocals. I can also hear the same when it comes to instruments and keyboards.

8. If you are just now listening to music for the first time since receiving your implants, what can you say, is the central most important element pertaining to music that you can think of?

9. Since receiving your implants is there something else that you would like to share or that you would like those of us that hear to know about you?

I would like hearing people to know that when a d/Deaf person receives a CI, they don't hear and understand voices or environmental sounds instantaneously. It takes hard work and persistance in order to learn how to hear with a CI. Over time and the longer a CI is used, the more voices and sounds start to improve.

Good luck with your project! :)

THANK YOU soooooo very much for your time in helping me with this. People at this site seem so friendly and just willing to help each other. What a true blessing that is.

THANK YOU, Jessica Dee from Alabama[/QUOTE]
 
Welcome Jessie - Hope you learned something new!
JessieN said:
1. How old are you?
30
2. Have you been deaf your entire life? If not, how long were you deaf before you received the implants?
Yes, my whole life
3. Do you listen to music? and how often?
Of course, I listen to it EVERYDAY!
4. What type of music interest you the most; another words I am wondering if certain pitches sound more relevant than other's which make you more attracted to a certain type of music?
I have a lot of country and ballads because they are easier for me to understand. Before I had the CI, fast music was hard for me to follow, now it's pretty easy. I'm a big fan of Reba McEntire because she sings a lot of "ballad" type of music, and for me it is just much easier to understand than trying to hear from Rap music or rock and roll.

5. Through my research it seems as if people with c.i.'s hear voices through a computerized type voice, and that getting expression on certain words is something that they are working on. Is this true to you?
Honestly, nothing sounds "computerized". To me, it sounds pretty much exactly the same as it did when I wore my hearing aids. However, I now can hear the higher frequenices such as crickets, S, CH sounds, etc. I now have the clarity and can hear the whole words with all the frequencies while with my hearing aids I only heard the lower frequencies.

6. If the last question is true, does every music artist's voice sound the same?
Definitely not!

7. If you have lost your hearing later in life, how has the sound of music changed for you (THIS IS A BIGGY QUESTION)? Can you describe how the melodies sound to you now?

Honestly, now I found that I appreciate music more than ever because I can understand pretty much a lot more than I did.

8. If you are just now listening to music for the first time since receiving your implants, what can you say, is the central most important element pertaining to music that you can think of?

9. Since receiving your implants is there something else that you would like to share or that you would like those of us that hear to know about you?
That I finally heard crickets!!!!
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JessieN said:
Hello Everyone!
I am a 13-year old student who is doing a science project on cochlear implants. I became fascinated with them after a young boy (age 3) that I know became completely deaf after getting mendigitis. I am also very interested in music and have often wondered how someone with cochlear implants hear music. Would you mind answering a few questions for me? I so much appreciate this. I want everyone I know to know more about cochlear implants. I feel they are truly a blessing.

1. How old are you? 31

2. Have you been deaf your entire life? If not, how long were you deaf before you received the implants? All my life

3. Do you listen to music? and how often? Before i got the Implants I rarely listen to music as it sounded too muffled, Now as implantee it had began to sound clearer, I am only 2 months post activcation so it's still early days but i have began to enjoy listening to pop [/COLOR]

4. What type of music interest you the most; another words I am wondering if certain pitches sound more relevant than other's which make you more attracted to a certain type of music? I enjoyed pop because i could hear the different types of intruments, I can't follow the singing at the moment I have printed out few lyrics so i can learn the song, I can tolerate Solo singing but at high pitches it's impossible to hear whats the song is and it sounded flat

5. Through my research it seems as if people with c.i.'s hear voices through a computerized type voice, and that getting expression on certain words is something that they are working on. Is this true to you?
It did sound metallic at first, now it had began to sounds similar to HA's but with the high frequency in it. My hearing with the implant is now in the speech banana range where it never had been before with HA's.

6. If the last question is true, does every music artist's voice sound the same? No they sound different

7. If you have lost your hearing later in life, how has the sound of music changed for you (THIS IS A BIGGY QUESTION)? Can you describe how the melodies sound to you now? N/A

8. If you are just now listening to music for the first time since receiving your implants, what can you say, is the central most important element pertaining to music that you can think of?

9. Since receiving your implants is there something else that you would like to share or that you would like those of us that hear to know about you? It takes alot of time and patience to make the CI work for you, there will be love and hate relationship with them but i kept wearing them. Hearing the cat meow for the first time is worth the sweat and tears!!!!

THANK YOU soooooo very much for your time in helping me with this. People at this site seem so friendly and just willing to help each other. What a true blessing that is.

THANK YOU, Jessica Dee from Alabama
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JessieN said:
Hello Everyone!


1. How old are you?39

2. Have you been deaf your entire life? If not, how long were you deaf before you received the implants?At least since 3 maybe earlier

3. Do you listen to music? and how often?I listen to music daily. I use an ipod and love it.

4. What type of music interest you the most; another words I am wondering if certain pitches sound more relevant than other's which make you more attracted to a certain type of music?I listen to sounds that I enjoyed 20 years ago before my hearing got to the point that I could not enjoy music. 20 years ago I use to listen to the 80's bands and that is what I started with when I recieved my implants. A year later I am just getting to the point of enjoying current music.

5. Through my research it seems as if people with c.i.'s hear voices through a computerized type voice, and that getting expression on certain words is something that they are working on. Is this true to you?I did sound computerized for the first few weeks. Then sound slowly becomes normal. I worked hard to develop my auditory therapy. I still work on it daily.

6. If the last question is true, does every music artist's voice sound the same?No ever music sounds different. Some music is more enjoyable to listen to. I really like Coldplay's Vida la Vida, it sounds nothing like JayZ.

7. If you have lost your hearing later in life, how has the sound of music changed for you (THIS IS A BIGGY QUESTION)? Can you describe how the melodies sound to you now?Music sounds much better now! I can hear across the range in the 25 dbs instead of a downward slopping lost. Before my CI I did not get the full range of sound, now I do.

8. If you are just now listening to music for the first time since receiving your implants, what can you say, is the central most important element pertaining to music that you can think of?The most imporant is to look at the lyrics and sing along. It takes awhile for sound to become the same as before. Focus on one instrument and learn its sound.

9. Since receiving your implants is there something else that you would like to share or that you would like those of us that hear to know about you?It is a lot of hard work to develop the sound and voices. You can't just get the implants and bam your normal hearing. It does not work that way. I will always view myself as deaf. The CIs just allow me to access sound. And I am still me.


THANK YOU, Jessica Dee from Alabama
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Good luck Jessica. My daughter did her project on what magnets stick to my implants. She came in 2nd place.
 
Jesse, check out Music For New Ears at this link. They are involved in creating music specifically for cochlear implant users, and you might be able to talk to them to get extra credit on your project!
 
:wave:THANK YOU soooooo much for taking time to help me. It means so much!!! I'll let you know how I do on the project. PLEASE TELL ALL YOUR FRIENDS TO ANSWER THIS TOO! It's my entire project and I am so fascinated and appreciative of your answers!!!! THANK YOU again, Jessie N.
 
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Thank you 'Drew's Dad'! You're the best! I'll check out the site. Jessie N.
 
1. How old are you?
41

2. Have you been deaf your entire life? If not, how long were you deaf before you received the implants?
I was born deaf.
3. Do you listen to music? and how often?
I listen to music every day.

4. What type of music interest you the most; another words I am wondering if certain pitches sound more relevant than other's which make you more attracted to a certain type of music?

Well. my taste for music hasn't changed much but it does sound different than it did in the past. When I wore my hearing aid, I could only hear low pitched sounds. Now that I've been implanted, I can hear the higher pitched sounds much better though I don't hear bass as well as in the past; this is due to ci mechanics. I listened to country music and jazz before I got implanted. I still listen to country more often then other types.

5. Through my research it seems as if people with c.i.'s hear voices through a computerized type voice, and that getting expression on certain words is something that they are working on. Is this true to you? When I first got activated, voices sounded mechanical but it was easy to tell them apart. Music sounded like static to me. Now everything sounds natural to me thanks to mappings.

6. If the last question is true, does every music artist's voice sound the same?N/A here

7. If you have lost your hearing later in life, how has the sound of music changed for you (THIS IS A BIGGY QUESTION)? Can you describe how the melodies sound to you now?

N/A for I am a prelingual. It just means I became deaf before age 3.

8. If you are just now listening to music for the first time since receiving your implants, what can you say, is the central most important element pertaining to music that you can think of?

N/A here I think.

9. Since receiving your implants is there something else that you would like to share or that you would like those of us that hear to know about you?
As much as I love my CI, know this: it's not the same as normal hearing. Nor is it a cure for deafness.


I'm always glad to help out and I wish you luck in your project.
 
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1. How old are you? The big three five!

2. Have you been deaf your entire life? If not, how long were you deaf before you received the implants?
My situation was more of a progressive neural hearing loss. It started from contracting Scarlet Fever at 18 months of age, I did not experience total hearing loss, but it declined over time until my hearing ceased in the mid 1990s. A decade later, I opted to receive a CI which I've had for 5 years now.

3. Do you listen to music? and how often?
Yes, almost every day.

4. What type of music interest you the most; another words I am wondering if certain pitches sound more relevant than other's which make you more attracted to a certain type of music?
Aside from listening to rock and country, I also play bass to covers of those two genres. I have a tendency to like lower frequency sounds over higher frequencies as it really moves me to the music, like a constant twist, head bang, foot tap, etc. Some have asked me why I like the bass, I jokingly tell them I like the thumping in my gut. :D

5. Through my research it seems as if people with c.i.'s hear voices through a computerized type voice, and that getting expression on certain words is something that they are working on. Is this true to you?
To an extent, yes to begin with. To me, when I was first activated everyone sounded like munchkins. It was really hard to keep a straight face, though the truer pitches started coming through after about two weeks. Speech recognition however, is a constant learning experience. At first, one has trouble discerning similar sounds, though they eventually became clearer to me. Even at the moment, I don't have perfect hearing, but it is a constant learning experience trying to hear speech "sharp" enough to comprehend what is being said. This is done by exposing myself to all kinds of sound sources where speech is involved, especially in background noise.

6. If the last question is true, does every music artist's voice sound the same?
To me, no, I can distinguish between one voice from another. This is another thing where a CI user will eventually grasp.

7. If you have lost your hearing later in life, how has the sound of music changed for you (THIS IS A BIGGY QUESTION)? Can you describe how the melodies sound to you now?
Yes, it has changed, but it is something to get used to. While I used an HA, sound was more balanced and truer, I could distinguish between all pitches of sound, but as I lost my hearing, the higher pitches started to disappear making listening to music mostly in the mid to low pitches. With a CI, its the opposite as it concentrates alot of the sound in the mid to high pitches. The lower pitches are heard also, but usually within 300hz or so, the kind of bass without the growl. I use my other natural ear to discern the pitches below 300hz - it's just a combination I learned to use.

8. If you are just now listening to music for the first time since receiving your implants, what can you say, is the central most important element pertaining to music that you can think of?
Thats like dropping in on something too overwhelming to discern between sound pitch. I started with listening to speech level frequencies (mid ranges) while doing both, listening to speech and distinguishing between voices on the radio. When I could make out the differences, I listened on to lower and higher frequencies from various instruments and environmental sounds. Now I'm in the middle of trying to hear speech better, in this case, I can hear the voices clearly, it's just that words are somewhat difficult to grasp. This isn't a problem if speech is done directly, face to face (No, I don't cheat by lip reading!)

9. Since receiving your implants is there something else that you would like to share or that you would like those of us that hear to know about you?
In my experience, learning to hear from a CI doesn't stop as soon as sounds can be distinguishable. There will always be a need for improvement, especially in the speech area. It's just the nature of using a CI.

Whew! Hope that helps, and good luck with your research!
 
Oh my goodness! I saw your pretty daughter's picture when I was looking up information on C.I.'s. I thought her project was wonderful. What a wonderful honor to have won 2nd place. Congratulations, and thank you so much for taking time out to help me.
 
JessieN said:
Hello Everyone!
I am a 13-year old student who is doing a science project on cochlear implants. I became fascinated with them after a young boy (age 3) that I know became completely deaf after getting mendigitis. I am also very interested in music and have often wondered how someone with cochlear implants hear music. Would you mind answering a few questions for me? I so much appreciate this. I want everyone I know to know more about cochlear implants. I feel they are truly a blessing.

1. How old are you?

2. Have you been deaf your entire life? If not, how long were you deaf before you received the implants?

3. Do you listen to music? and how often?

4. What type of music interest you the most; another words I am wondering if certain pitches sound more relevant than other's which make you more attracted to a certain type of music?

5. Through my research it seems as if people with c.i.'s hear voices through a computerized type voice, and that getting expression on certain words is something that they are working on. Is this true to you?

6. If the last question is true, does every music artist's voice sound the same?

7. If you have lost your hearing later in life, how has the sound of music changed for you (THIS IS A BIGGY QUESTION)? Can you describe how the melodies sound to you now?

8. If you are just now listening to music for the first time since receiving your implants, what can you say, is the central most important element pertaining to music that you can think of?

9. Since receiving your implants is there something else that you would like to share or that you would like those of us that hear to know about you?

THANK YOU soooooo very much for your time in helping me with this. People at this site seem so friendly and just willing to help each other. What a true blessing that is.

THANK YOU, Jessica Dee from Alabama
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Hi jessie pleased to meet you,

1. i'm 42
2 i have been profoundly deaf sicne i was 4 through measles
3. i used to listen to music alot, daily, but as i got older it seemd to get harder, since the implant i have been listening to it daily, trying to teach my brain to recognise sounds
4, i remeber sounds from being a teenager, and as i would expect common amongst us profoundly deaf we go for low tones(but dont get me started on barry white lol)
5. i dont hera them as computerised, im still learning, it's more cartoon stuff for me, very weird
6. no, i have some songs i taught myself at a volume that would deafen a hearie, so when i was implanted i played them alot, and i can follow the tones from memory, it helps me to find my way thorugh the noise,
7. i lost mine so early so i can't answer this
8. music at the moment is irrelevant to me, but as i remeber some songs from teenage years, it helps me to focus through the noisy world
9, no, im just the run of the mill, nothing i have done or will do merits attention, although if my experience would help others who go through surgery I would happily do whatever i can to help
 
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