UCL Ear Institute invites all to HearHere!

The UCL Ear Institute is providing scientific support for HearHere!, a year-long project run by Classic FM and the Royal Philharmonic Society to explore the factors that affect the way we listen to music.

HearHere! aims to promote the art and science of listening in a culture that is increasingly visually dominated. The project comprises several strands, including a programme of broadcast and live concerts and events across the UK.

The UCL Ear Institute will provide scientific perspectives to monthly discussions about various aspects of listening that will be hosted on the HearHere! and Classic FM websites. Its first contribution is a survey of listening habits, in which the public is invited to participate at the HearHere! website from today. The institute has teamed up with Deafness Research UK to offer virtual tours of the ear via a multimedia roadshow that will be held at schools, concert halls and community centres around the country. It has also designed sound demos to give an insight into the very different way that people with cochlear implants hear music.

Professor David McAlpine, Director of the UCL Ear Institute, said: "I was enthusiastic about working with the project when we were approached by the Royal Philharmonic Society because the themes of listening and hearing fit very well with the institute's own research priorities. I suggested the additional theme of loss of hearing for the project, to expand awareness of how this affects people's relationship with music."

To find out more about HearHere! and to take part in the online survey, follow the links at the top of this article.