[1]  Specific resources are available for administrators, faculty and staff, and students. The use of the documents is voluntary and are not to be used as standards or as part of accreditation procedures. Despite these recommendations, musicians continue to face unique challenges in protecting their hearing when compared to individuals in industrial settings. Typically environmental controls are the first line of defense in a hearing conservation program, and depending on the type of musicians some recommendations have been proposed. These recommendations can include adjusting risers or level of the speakers and adjusting the layout of a band or orchestra. These changes in the environment can be beneficial to musicians, but the ability to accomplish them is not always possible. In the cases where these changes cannot be made, hearing protection is recommended. Hearing protection in musicians offers its own sets of benefits and complications. When used properly, hearing protection can limit the exposure of noise in individuals. Musicians have the ability to pick from several different types of hearing protection from conventional ear plugs to custom or high fidelity hearing protection. Despite this, use of hearing protection among musicians is low for several different reasons. Musicians often feel that hearing protective devices can distort how music sounds or makes it too quiet for them to hear important cues which makes them less likely to wear hearing protection even when aware of the risks.
Experts at the 2006 "Noise-Induced Hearing Loss in Children at Work and Play" Conference agreed that further research into this field was still required before making a broad generalization about music-induced hearing loss.Given the extensive research suggesting that industrial noise exposure can cause sensorineural hearing loss, a link between hearing loss and music exposures of similar level and duration (to industrial noise) seems highly plausible. Determining which individuals or groups are at risk for such exposures may be a difficult task. Despite concerns about the proliferation of personal music players, there is only scarce evidence supporting their impact on hearing loss, and some small-sample studies suggest that only a fraction of users are affected. People from ages to 6–19 have an approximately 15% rate of hearing loss. Recommendations for musicians to protect their hearing were released in 2015 by NIOSH. The recommendations emphasized education of musicians and those who work in or around the music industry. Annual hearing assessments were also recommended to monitor thresholds as were sound level assessments to help determine the amount of time musicians and related professionals should spend in that environment. Hearing protection was also recommended, and the authors of the NIOSH recommendations even suggested that musicians consider custom earplugs as a way to combat NIHL.In 2016, the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), a music school accreditation body in the US, published a hearing health advisory to help with efforts directed at informing faculty and music students about potential risks associated with school activities, during rehearsal and performance.