While the Cochlear implant has been developed primarily to enhance speech communication, many implant users in our study have expressed interest in enjoying music. This is not particularly surprising since music is an art form pervasive within society. Even though cochlear implant users are exposed to music in many everyday life events, we have very limited empirical data regarding either the limitations or potential of implants in musical perception or enjoyment. Anecdotal narratives suggest that individual users vary greatly in their enjoyment and understanding of music, but we are presently able to do little more that speculate why that is the case. One possible explanation for differences is the device itself. A second explanation is that different structural elements in music are more or less accessible to implant users. A third explanation is that the individual listening experiences, both prior to deafness and following implantation can influence music perception. We believe that our cochlear implant program is uniquely positioned to study musical perception and enjoyment in a comprehensive fashion. We propose three primary aims with postlingually deafened adults: First, since our program has a large and committed patient population using a variety of devices and processing strategies, we will be able to make in-depth comparisons across devices or fitting algorithms with regard to music perception and enjoyment. Second, we will conduct what we believe is the most comprehensive investigation in any implant center regarding specific structural elements of music, add how those elements contribute to or impede music perception and enjoyment. Toward that end, we have developed over the past four years a battery of music perception and enjoyment that examines melody, harmony, rhythm, and timbre in highly structured, isolated forms as well as in multidimensional combinations. Our third research focus will be the effect of structured music listening on musical enjoyment and perceptual acuity. We have developed and pilot tested a 3- month structured listening protocol for use in field trials that exposes implant users to various structural elements of music, presenting those materials in gradually more complex forms. Preliminary data indicate that our CHI users can improve in perceptual acuity and enjoyment of particular types of music. Further investigation with a larger population is now needed to support these findings across different devices and patient characteristics. We believe these research aims have implications for user satisfaction with the implant, and consequently, improved quality of life.
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