To Hear

<v Voice off-screen>Joel, come on, you're going to miss your plane. <v Joel Grey>Coming. Hi, I'm Joel Grey. <v Joel Grey>Was that fun? Something I've always dreamed about. <v Joel Grey>Conducting the ninth at the Kennedy Center. <v Joel Grey>Now, whether I'm performing or attending a concert here, I'm always struck by the <v Joel Grey>importance of sound in this great building with its surrounding halls. <v Joel Grey>They were designed specifically to heighten the power and beauty of sound. <v Voice off-screen>Joel! <v Joel Grey>Coming. <v Joel Grey>As a matter of fact, all the materials that went into the construction of the Kennedy <v Joel Grey>Center were chosen especially for their acoustic characteristics. <v Joel Grey>The seats, the carpeting, even the crystal chandeliers were specifically <v Joel Grey>designed to meet the highest standards of frequency response and sound diffusion. <v Voice off-screen>Your ticket to San Francisco.

<v Joel Grey>This extreme focus on sound is just one indication that the existence of our culture <v Joel Grey>depends on the existence of sound. <v Joel Grey>Whether it be the sound of my voice, a symphony orchestra, <v Joel Grey>or noise. <v Joel Grey>Another indication that sound is an essential part of our lives, no matter <v Joel Grey>who we are, where we are or what we do. <v Joel Grey>Goodbye, everybody. <v Orchestra Crew>Bye bye. <v Joel Grey>See you next Tuesday. <v Joel Grey>The very quality of our lives depends so much upon the phenomenon <v Joel Grey>of sound and our ability to hear it. <v Music>[Someone playing lively piano tune, no song title given.] <v Joel Grey>Today, sound can be played in ways we never thought possible, we can

<v Joel Grey>equalize it. Mix it, squeeze it, digitize it. <v Joel Grey>We can drive it to higher peaks of intensity and greater levels of quality than ever <v Joel Grey>before. <v Music>[Piano tune resumes]. <v Joel Grey>But do you realize while you listen to all this, a process far more complicated <v Joel Grey>is going on inside your head? <v Joel Grey>And that's the process of hearing. <v Joel Grey>People too come equipped with a sound system. <v Joel Grey>An integrated set of components, which is far more wondrous and actually <v Joel Grey>much more sophisticated than all this equipment. <v Joel Grey>What's wrong?

<v Sound mixer>All the tapes. Hang on. Could we hear that? I registered one more time, please. <v Sound mixer>Does that sound right to you? <v Sound mixer 2>No, it doesn't. <v Musician>Yeah, it's out of tune. <v Sound mixer 2>Sounds off. <v Joel Grey>Sounds off. <v Sound mixer>How long would it takes to get the piano? <v Sound mixer 2>You gotta call. <v Musician>It's B. B above middle C. <v Sound mixer>Could we take a break? For about an hour? <v Joel Grey>No problem. <v Sound mixer>While you're out, pick us up some sushi? <v Sound mixer>Hang on one sec. <v Joel Grey>But only recently have we really begun to understand the process <v Joel Grey>of hearing. <v Joel Grey>George, it's on me. <v Joel Grey>Today, we still know far more about how we see than we do about how <v Joel Grey>we hear. Why is it we know so little about something <v Joel Grey>so important? <v Joel Grey>Maybe it's because we take sound for granted. <v Joel Grey>Until we lose our ability to hear, that's when we really discover the magic <v Joel Grey>and importance of sound.

<v Joel Grey>You see, sound is what helps you stay in touch with the world. <v Joel Grey>Your sense of hearing is what keeps you tuned to the music of life. <v Joel Grey>You see, the ear is a bridge between us and the world, <v Joel Grey>delivering a constant stream of sound messages to the brain. <v Joel Grey>And isn't it ironic that we seldom give even a passing thought to <v Joel Grey>the multitude of sounds that structure our lives day after day? <v Music>[Saxaphonist playing on the street, sounds from the city accompanying the music.] <v Joel Grey>The sounds of our world have always been important to our lives, especially

<v Joel Grey>in the beginning. Primitive man depended on sound for survival. <v Joel Grey>You know, the ear is your best warning device. <v Joel Grey>To primitive man, the ability to hear was a prime requisite for survival. <v Taxi Driver>Watch it, Tiger. <v Joel Grey>Obviously, it still is. For primitive man, <v Joel Grey>sound was far more important than sight. <v Joel Grey>Both his predators and his prey could be heard long before they could be seen. <v Joel Grey>Sound meant survival. <v Joel Grey>And just as the landscape has changed dramatically since then, so has the soundsscape. <v Joel Grey>The <v Joel Grey>soundscape is the sonic environment of an area. <v Joel Grey>It's made up of events heard rather than seen. <v Joel Grey>But the tremendous racket of the industrial revolution in full swing, the sound

<v Joel Grey>of the modern world was here to stay. <v Joel Grey>The shriek and clatter of machines is still the keynote of our sounds. <v Music>[Jazzy song playing on record player, no song given.] <v Joel Grey>We've always kept things to look at and remind us, remembrances <v Joel Grey>of things past, the records of our lives, but <v Joel Grey>before the late 1800s, it was never possible for us to listen to the past. <v Joel Grey>Sound was always a thing of the present. <v Joel Grey>And so our ancestors who were hard of hearing <v Joel Grey>used ingenious devices to help them hear that fleeting moment of sound

<v Joel Grey>better. Ironically, it was a hearing impaired person that <v Joel Grey>gave us the ability to record and preserve sound capturing <v Joel Grey>and it's been capturing us ever since. <v Joel Grey>But take a look at this guy over here. <v Joel Grey>Strange looking, huh? But it was a machine <v Joel Grey>quite like this that produced the first sound <v Joel Grey>that started it all. <v Old sounding recording>Mary had a little lamb whose fleece was white as snow, and everywhere Mary went the sheep would surely go. <v Joel Grey>Edison's first phonograph was a very scratchy beginning for our fascination with sound <v Joel Grey>technology. <v Joel Grey>For the first time, the sounds of the past and present could be preserved <v Joel Grey>for the future. <v Music>[Various soundbytes of different recordings.]

<v Joel Grey>At this moment, the spacecraft Voyager is carrying the sounds of our world <v Joel Grey>into deep space. <v Joel Grey>A golden disk etched with the sounds of earth and human voices <v Joel Grey>perhaps to be heard one day by extra terrestrial ears. <v Joel Grey>So what exactly is sound? <v Joel Grey>I mean, we know it's everywhere, what we hear in the brook, <v Joel Grey>in the wind, the <v Joel Grey>noise of movement. <v Joel Grey>Or is sound just a sensation for what we feel and our label for

<v Joel Grey>that feeling? <v Joel Grey>For centuries, scholars have argued if a tree falls in the forest <v Joel Grey>and there's no one there to hear it, does it make a sound? <v Joel Grey>Some would argue, of course. <v Joel Grey>Sound is a physical phenomenon. It exists. <v Joel Grey>I mean, whether or not there's anyone there to hear it. <v Joel Grey>Now, others say sound is a sensation. <v Joel Grey>It requires someone to be there to hear it. <v Joel Grey>To sense it. <v Joel Grey>It's up to you. <v Joel Grey>Is it gonna make a sound or not? <v Joel Grey>Well, there really is no argument because there is no wrong answer.

<v Joel Grey>In one view, we're talking about the production of sound and then the other <v Joel Grey>we're speaking of the perception of sound. <v Joel Grey>One is cause the other effect. <v Joel Grey>Both belong in the definition of the word sound. <v Joel Grey>How is sound created? <v Joel Grey>The first requirement is a vibrating object. <v Joel Grey>Vocal chords, a slammed door or a tuning fork. <v Joel Grey>The second requirement is a medium to transmit the effects of <v Joel Grey>vibrations. If we slow down the vibration of the tuning fork, we can see <v Joel Grey>exactly how sound is produced. <v Joel Grey>The medium could be a liquid or a solid, but mostly the sounds we hear are transmitted <v Joel Grey>by the medium of air molecules. <v Joel Grey>As the object vibrates, it pushes repeatedly on the molecules that surround it. <v Joel Grey>Those molecules jostle their neighbors, starting a chain reaction <v Joel Grey>which courses through the medium as waves of pressure or sound waves like

<v Joel Grey>ripples across upon. <v Joel Grey>With the oscilloscope, we can see a visual representation <v Joel Grey>of a soundwave, 2 important characteristics of sound waves <v Joel Grey>are intensity and frequency. <v Joel Grey>The height of the sound wave from the peak to the midpoint indicates the strength <v Joel Grey>or intensity of the vibrating sound source. <v Joel Grey>The heart of the tuning fork pushes against the molecules, the higher the intensity, and <v Joel Grey>the louder the sound. <v Joel Grey>Frequency, the number of vibrations per second, determines the <v Joel Grey>length of the sound wave. <v Joel Grey>Higher the frequency, the shorter the wave, the higher the pitch to the ear. <v Joel Grey>For instance, Middle C produces about 260 vibrations <v Joel Grey>per second. <v Joel Grey>Higher note B, A above middle C vibrates fast. <v Joel Grey>We perceive as a higher pitch.

<v Joel Grey>The higher the frequency, the higher the pitch. <v Joel Grey>Every object has a frequency of its own. <v Joel Grey>You can hear it in the tone of this glass. <v Joel Grey>What do you think that was, Keith? <v Keith>Sounds like E Flat. <v Joel Grey>Exactly. <v Keith>That's my job. <v Joel Grey>Well, we don't have Ella Fitzgerald, but we do have this high frequency compression <v Joel Grey>driver and hopefully enough power to effectively do the job. <v Joel Grey>Now, by matching that frequency E flat, a phenomenon known as sympathetic <v Joel Grey>vibration, can occur, the tone down resonance with that glass. <v Joel Grey>And if the intensity is strong enough, it should shatter. <v Joel Grey>Can you give me any more power, George? <v George>It's flat out. It's at 600 watts. <v Joel Grey>That should do it. <v Joel Grey>Have you ever wondered what you're really hearing when you press a seashell against your

<v Joel Grey>ear? I always did. <v Joel Grey>It's the sound of air molecules bouncing together. <v Joel Grey>See, we live in an ocean of sound, its waves surround us. <v Joel Grey>Sound is created by the elements of our world just <v Joel Grey>like this beach is created from the sand, so the same <v Joel Grey>physical laws which govern us, govern sound. <v Joel Grey>Sound will react very specific ways depending <v Joel Grey>on the environment. Let me show you. <v Joel Grey>Look how sound waves can be reflected by a solid barrier. <v Joel Grey>If they're reflected back to their original source. <v Joel Grey>The result is an echo. <v Joel Grey>Because of reflection, a bandshell can amplify and direct the sound waves toward the <v Joel Grey>audience. <v Joel Grey>Just like visible light waves, sound waves can be bent or refracted as <v Joel Grey>they pass from one medium to another or from one temperature level to another. <v Joel Grey>Under certain conditions, sound can actually turn a corner.

<v Joel Grey>This effect is called diffraction. <v Joel Grey>By using the edge of a barrier as a focal point, a new series of sound waves are <v Joel Grey>generated with a level and frequency that's almost identical to the original. <v Joel Grey>That's why a door that's open just slightly will let in almost as much sound as a fully <v Joel Grey>open. <v Sound mixer 2>We're trying to get a balance could you close the door, sir? <v Joel Grey>Sorry. <v Joel Grey>So now we know what sound is. <v Joel Grey>How do we hear it? <v Joel Grey>Actually, we don't. What we're doing is feeling it. <v Joel Grey>Our ears are designed to feel the sound waves, then amplify and transmit the sensation <v Joel Grey>to the brain. So your sense of hearing is really a tactile sense. <v Joel Grey>The human ear. <v Joel Grey>The perfect stereo receiver housed in an area of less <v Joel Grey>than one cubic inch. <v Joel Grey>The workings of the ear is one of the most complex mysteries in all

<v Joel Grey>of nature. <v Joel Grey>The ear is a transformer, changing the physical pressure of sound waves <v Joel Grey>into distinct electrical impulses. <v Joel Grey>The ear is made up of 3 components. <v Joel Grey>The outer, middle and inner ear. <v Joel Grey>The visible part of the year is the least important. <v Joel Grey>It's just a catch for the sound waves. <v Joel Grey>Your sense of hearing really begins with the ear drum. <v Joel Grey>The sound waves strike the thin membrane of the eardrum and set it vibrating. <v Joel Grey>Then the eardrum passes the vibrations onto the 3 small bones in <v Joel Grey>the middle ear, the hammer, anvil and stirrup.

<v Joel Grey>They work together as a lever system, amplifying the sound waves. <v Joel Grey>Even more. <v Joel Grey>The stirrup is attached to a soft membrane called the oval window <v Joel Grey>at the beginning of the inner ear, called the cochlea. <v Joel Grey>Inside the snail-like cochlea are 3 chambers filled <v Joel Grey>with fluid. the middle chamber contains Corti's organ. <v Joel Grey>As the stirrup strikes the oval window, the sound waves are transformed <v Joel Grey>into waves of hydraulic pressure, which course through the fluid filled <v Joel Grey>chambers, Corti's organ flexes a membrane which is covered <v Joel Grey>with thousands of tiny hair bundles. <v Joel Grey>Each hair bundle responds to a specific frequency and creates just <v Joel Grey>the right electrical signal for that frequency. <v Joel Grey>The action of the hair bundles send electrical signals up the auditory nerve to the <v Joel Grey>brain.

<v Joel Grey>The ear is a remarkably efficient communication system. <v Non-Dialog Sound>[Various phone operators speaking into their receivers and microphones.]. <v Joel Grey>To <v Joel Grey>build a device that could do the job of a single ear, the phone company would <v Joel Grey>need encoders, decoders, microwave transmitters, a hydraulic balance system <v Joel Grey>and switchboards of every size and description. <v Non-Dialog Sound>[Various phone operators speaking into their recievers and microphones.] <v Joel Grey>It would need the capacity of a phone system for a city of a half a million <v Joel Grey>and would have to be compressed into a space less than the size of a quarter. <v Joel Grey>How important are your ears? <v Joel Grey>Well, let's take a simple task, like making a call. <v Joel Grey>Just to place this call, I'll follow <v Joel Grey>a series of sound cues that tell me exactly what to do and when to do <v Joel Grey>it.

<v Phone dial voice>The number you have reached is not in service at this time, and there is no new number, <v Phone dial voice>please be sure you check the telephone. <v Joel Grey>That's just one simple task. <v Joel Grey>Think of all the others we do every day, which require us to receive and comprehend <v Joel Grey>countless sound messages, and if your hearing is out of order, you know, <v Joel Grey>needs servicing these simple tasks can become very difficult. <v Joel Grey>The human ear is well protected, but it can become defective in a number <v Joel Grey>of ways. <v Joel Grey>The eardrum can be punctured by a sharp object or torn by a very loud <v Joel Grey>noise.

<v Joel Grey>By grafting skin from the outer ear, a new membrane can be stretched across <v Joel Grey>the face of the eardrum. <v Joel Grey>Among the various middle ear disorders is a condition called auto sclerosis, <v Joel Grey>which causes a bony growth to accumulate at the base of the stirrup where it touches <v Joel Grey>the oval window. Sound waves can't enter the cochlea, causing <v Joel Grey>a severe hearing loss. <v Joel Grey>This condition can be corrected with a surgical procedure called a stapedectomy, <v Joel Grey>an artificial device is implanted, restoring the function of the stirrup. <v Joel Grey>The most severe hearing problems, sensory neural loss, occur <v Joel Grey>in the inner ear. The cochlea can be damaged by hereditary disorders, <v Joel Grey>drugs or excessive noise. <v Joel Grey>High levels of sound pound away at the fragile hairs and eventually <v Joel Grey>can destroy them. And when they're lost, the sounds they transmitted

<v Joel Grey>are lost forever. <v Joel Grey>Research is now being conducted to give sounds sensations to those with severe <v Joel Grey>inner ear problems. <v Joel Grey>An electrodes implanted in the damaged cochlea. <v Joel Grey>The electrode is connected to an internal receiver and <v Joel Grey>an external transmitter and microphone connected to the implant. <v Joel Grey>The hearing impaired often have trouble knowing how loud they're speaking. <v Joel Grey>The implant helps them sense the intensity of their own voice. <v Joel Grey>This woman has no hearing in one ear and a progressive loss in the other. <v Joel Grey>In distinguishing sound, the implant can't match the sensitivity of the <v Joel Grey>7000 hair bundles in a normal cochlea. <v Joel Grey>But for some, even a limited sense of hearing is a remarkable improvement. <v Joel Grey>You know, when you lose your hearing, what you're really losing is the ability to sense

<v Joel Grey>certain frequencies. You stop hearing certain parts of certain sounds. <v Joel Grey>This recording console enables sound engineers to control and manipulate <v Joel Grey>the various frequencies that make up the rich and beautiful sound we call music. <v Sound mixer 3>Is that the piano in the headphones. <v Joel Grey>But the use of a sophisticated filtering system, the engineers can eliminate <v Joel Grey>a specific range of frequencies. <v Joel Grey>Our ears can sense 20 cycles per second to 20000. <v Joel Grey>Our percussionist is producing sound at about 50 cycles per second <v Joel Grey>and the highest note on the piano is about 4000. <v Joel Grey>The sound of the human voice usually falls between the mid range frequencies of <v Joel Grey>300 to 3000, losing the ability to hear these frequencies <v Joel Grey>severely limits the ability to hear what's being said.

<v Joel Grey>I'll show you what I mean. George-. <v Studio employee>Hey man, did you feel like you w-2s and your contracts? <v Musician 2>I don't know what <v Musician 2>we can do- [sound muffles]. <v Studio employee>Hey George! <v George>I'm sorry. Say that again. I couldn't quite understand you. <v Joel Grey>It's my fault. I was trying to explain something, sorry. <v Studio employee>Are we on track with the W-2s? <v Joel Grey>That's what communication is like for the hearing impaired. <v Joel Grey>For them, the marvel of speech is reduced to a confusion of fragmented sounds <v Joel Grey>that can create miscommunication and often misunderstanding. <v Joel Grey>For the child who was born with a severe hearing loss. <v Joel Grey>The earliest opportunity to learn how to communicate in every way possible <v Joel Grey>is absolutely essential. <v Speech therapist>Make an H. Feel it. <v Speech therapist>Good, Vanessa. <v Speech therapist>Goes here.

<v Speech therapist>Look at me. Make another H. <v Speech therapist>It's my turn. I'll make an H. <v Speech therapist>You have to feel it. You have to feel it. <v Speech therapist>Make an H. <v Speech therapist>Good. <v Speech therapist>Good language. <v Speech therapist>Remember your H. <v Speech therapist>Horse. Good. <v Speech therapist>You did a good job. <v Joel Grey>Sound is how we touch each other from a distance. <v Joel Grey>But even if you've lost the feeling of sound, you can still reach out to each <v Joel Grey>other through the silent communication of sign language. <v ASL translation 1>You know, I care about you. <v ASL translation 1>You're the only other person I feel like you talk to.

<v ASL translation 1>But it's not a good time right now. <v ASL translation 1>I'm too involved, with school, with work. <v ASL translation 2 (Steve)>Too involved? Not the right time? What are you talking about? <v ASL translation 2 (Steve)>To be together, to be close to someone. <v ASL translation 2 (Steve)>Why do you look at the calendar. <v ASL translation 2 (Steve)>Just listen to your heart. What is it telling you about me? <v ASL translation 2 (Steve)>About us? <v ASL translation 1>No, I do feel it. <v ASL translation 1>It's saying that I want you. <v ASL translation 1>I want you to sit beside me in English class. <v ASL translation 1>Come on, let's go. <v Steve's friend>Hey Steve, are you guys going to work this out? <v Steve>Yeah, I'm not ready to get involved. I'll see you later. <v Joel Grey>Perhaps the only real barrier to communication isn't in the air, but in <v Joel Grey>the mind. <v Joel Grey>Your hearing is your most personal sense.

<v Joel Grey>You can focus in on a beautiful melody, shutting out everything else. <v Joel Grey>You can tune it in. Tune it out. <v Joel Grey>Depending on what you want to hear and your willingness to listen. <v Fan of Joel>Excuse me. I hate to bother you, but are you, Joel Gray? <v Joel Grey>Yes I am. <v Fan of Joel>I thought you were. What are you doing here? You're probably doing a show. <v Fan of Joel>Well, I'm here with my friend Debbie. We've never been you before. <v Fan of Joel>I suppose you haven't either. Come on Debbie, I want you to meet somebody. <v Joel Grey>What's your name? <v Debbie>Deb. Deborah. <v Fan of Joel>Oh, is it a cabaret again? <v Joel Grey>Oh, no, no. <v Fan of Joel>George M? Oh, no. You've done those. A new one, on tour. <v Fan of Joel>Oh, no you've done on tour. <v Joel Grey>Please. <v Fan of Joel>How do you do it all? <v Joel Grey>I really-. <v Fan of Joel>You know I suppose it's your durability. Well, I wish I had that natural ability.

<v Fan of Joel>Well, I have to have it because I joined the Pacific Theater Group and <v Fan of Joel>our first show is going to be Cabaret. <v Joel Grey>If you've ever been in one of these situations if someone's talking to you, but <v Joel Grey>really not listening to you. This is when you discover your ability to tune <v Joel Grey>certain sounds down and raise the volume on other sounds going on nearby. <v Joel Grey>This, they tell me, is called the cocktail party effect. <v Non-Dialog Sound>[Indistinct and various conversations going on about film, sports, personal life, and people's plans for the evening.]. <v Joel Grey>Another <v Joel Grey>nice thing, we're programed to select specific sounds we really

<v Joel Grey>should respond to. <v Debbie>Excuse me Mr. Grey, it was really nice to meet you. <v Joel Grey>Thank you. <v Debbie>Come on, Diane. <v Joel Grey>Bye bye. <v Paul>Is that what you had in mind, Jim? <v Jim>It's close. That is. But I think everything could go up a lot louder. <v Jim>Everything can be dominated. <v Joel Grey>The filmmakers know exactly how to manipulate our emotions. <v Joel Grey>They're doing that right now. One of the most effective ways to do it is with sound. <v Joel Grey>Mixing dialog and music and sound effects. <v Joel Grey>By combining those sounds in just the right way, the same visual elements <v Joel Grey>in a warm, comfortable lounge can be transformed into the makings <v Joel Grey>of a nightmare. <v Music>[The same bar scene as before, only know with ominous, tense, scary music.] <v Jim>Alright Paul, in the next scene, and we are going to start here with the whistles.

<v Paul>We have a whistle on the computer, want to hear it? <v Jim>Well, I'm I'm happy with the production sound. <v Another editor>Wait, let's hear this whistle. <v Paul>David, let's hear APM 157, take seven. <v Another editor>Do you hear this on a loop or what? It's coming out the computer. <v Paul>Now, what we can do is we can make it mellower. <v Paul>Here it is more brilliant. <v Another editor>Well I don't know. I like your whistle. I mean, I like the modulation. <v Another editor>I think we'll go with ours. <v Another editor>It's supposed to just overpower this next scene. <v Joel Grey>Noise. <v Joel Grey>Living in this society, we've come to take a sound level like this for granted. <v Joel Grey>But in this century alone, the sounds of the world have changed dramatically. <v Joel Grey>Say, how much for a ride around the park? <v Carriage driver>Not much, sir. <v Joel Grey>How can I refuse? <v Joel Grey>Shh! To get an idea of what the world sounded like to our great grandparents,

<v Joel Grey>it's right down the road apiece. <v Joel Grey>Turn the clock back and the sound level down. <v Joel Grey>It's been said that we only began to appreciate nature after <v Joel Grey>we've nearly ruined it. <v Joel Grey>And what applies to the landscape is just as true for the soundscape. <v Joel Grey>Hold it here for a minute. <v Carriage driver>Nice. Want some sugar? <v Carriage driver>That's good. <v Joel Grey>There was a time not so long ago when the world was

<v Joel Grey>a quiet place, a time when another voice was much <v Joel Grey>easier to hear. Perhaps more likely to be heard. <v Joel Grey>About 350 years ago, not far from here, Manhattan Island <v Joel Grey>was purchased for a handful of beads. <v Joel Grey>While Governor Peter Minuit waited to make his big sale. <v Joel Grey>Well, he probably heard what I'm hearing now. <v Joel Grey>The serenity of the forest and the dull click <v Joel Grey>of those beads. <v Joel Grey>The first sound of New York commerce that registered the <v Joel Grey>beginning of that.

<v Joel Grey>Living in our world means living with noise. <v Joel Grey>We're beginning to realize can have a powerful effect on our lives. <v Joel Grey>As we've learned, our ears feel sound. <v Joel Grey>So they, too, have become victims in our noise polluted world. <v Music>[Hectic, anxious, crowded montage of sounds and images]. <v Music>

<v Music>[Rock band singing along to drums and guitar in a loud voice]. <v Joel Grey>What's noise to some is music to others. <v Joel Grey>The beauty of sound is definitely in the ear of the listener. <v Joel Grey>At the edge of the stage, the sound level is about equal to a commercial jet <v Joel Grey>at full thrust. <v Joel Grey>A recent study showed that many teenagers today have the hearing <v Joel Grey>of a 60 year old of the previous generation. <v Rock singer>I like to like, for all the guys who play guitars in the band, like them to be real <v Rock singer>loud because I can go better. <v Rock singer>I can pump more when I can, when I have all that volume behind me. <v Joel Grey>It's painful, though. It hurts your ears. <v Rock singer>Yeah, but it hurts real good. <v Joel Grey>Music reflects the tempo of an age. <v Joel Grey>So it's little wonder that this music has the melodic pattern and the beat <v Joel Grey>of a machine gun.

<v Joel Grey>Independence is not at all mandatory. <v Joel Grey>Headphones can plug you into both the dangers and the joys of sound. <v Joel Grey>But what may be good for the soul could be devastating for the ear. <v Joel Grey>The sounds of life come in an <v Joel Grey>infinite variety of shapes and effects. <v Joel Grey>From the tranquil sounds of motherhood to the disturbing sounds of a distant <v Joel Grey>world. <v Joel Grey>In just 200 years, we've built a strong and powerful nation, but <v Joel Grey>the same technology responsible for that growth has caused an alarming increase <v Joel Grey>in hearing impairment among Americans in just the past two decades. <v Joel Grey>The same machines that built our country are now beginning to ruin

<v Joel Grey>our ability to hear. <v Joel Grey>But does losing your ability to hear, I mean, that you've lost the ability to be a <v Joel Grey>productive member of our society, able to pursue your <v Joel Grey>goals, ambitions, your dreams? <v Joel Grey>Let's look at one individual who lost his hearing, <v Joel Grey>but never lost his dream, a dream which lives on in his music, <v Joel Grey>Ludwig van Beethoven. <v Joel Grey>Beethoven began to lose his hearing when he was about 30. <v Joel Grey>He'd achieved public recognition and acceptance as a genius. <v Joel Grey>And for the first time, he felt his goal was nearly in his grasp. <v Joel Grey>His dream a reality. <v Joel Grey>But then his sense of hearing began to die. <v Joel Grey>At first, Beethoven saw no reason to continue.

<v Joel Grey>He suffered tremendously and felt such anger <v Joel Grey>at losing his most precious sense through no fault of his own. <v Joel Grey>But then, in the silence of his despair, <v Joel Grey>he heard a deeper sound, much more profound. <v Joel Grey>The echo of the unconquerable human spirit. <v Joel Grey>Through this, Beethoven overcame <v Joel Grey>his loss. <v Joel Grey>Yes, conquered his affliction and said, <v Joel Grey>I will take fate by the throat. <v Joel Grey>I will not let it overcome me. <v Joel Grey>Beethoven would work out his music on sketchpads, so he always carried with him. <v Joel Grey>When a sound came into his mind, he would hurriedly jot down the notes

<v Joel Grey>and then later would strengthen and combine <v Joel Grey>them to form his great symphonies. <v Joel Grey>But these notes were not just symbols of sounds. <v Joel Grey>Beethoven wasn't just writing beautiful music. <v Joel Grey>He was composing ideas. <v Joel Grey>The ninth was his last and some say his greatest work. <v Joel Grey>Listening to it, we can hear what Beethoven was saying about the unconquerable human <v Joel Grey>spirit. You see, he believed that a power flows through us all. <v Joel Grey>And his dream for the ninth was that it should be a signal, <v Joel Grey>a sound that would reverberate throughout all of humanity, <v Joel Grey>leading us to our true potential, the strength to overcome any obstacle <v Joel Grey>to indeed take fate by the throat and realize our dreams. <v Joel Grey>Beethoven conducted the ninth the first time it was performed.

<v Joel Grey>He was totally death at the time. <v Joel Grey>After the second movement, the audience broke out in thunderous applause. <v Joel Grey>Beethoven, of course, couldn't hear it and raised his baton to <v Joel Grey>begin the next movement. When a young soprano came to him <v Joel Grey>and led him to the footlights. <v Joel Grey>Standing there before that great ovation, <v Joel Grey>he realized he had achieved his dream. <v Joel Grey>The ninth symphony lives on. <v Music>[Ninth symphony clip.] <v Joel Grey>In the end, Beethoven could hear his music only in his mind.

<v Joel Grey>But if he were alive today, he might be able to hear it with his ears. <v Joel Grey>We're exploring the ear in ways that until recently would have been thought impossible <v Joel Grey>with the electron microscope. <v Joel Grey>We can clearly see the finest details of the inner ear. <v Joel Grey>When we understand exactly how the brain receives and interprets the electrical signals <v Joel Grey>from the hair bundles, we will have solved one of the most complex mysteries <v Joel Grey>of all. <v Scientist>Okay, I've got the probe in position. Are we getting anything?

<v Joel Grey>This is a single hair cell which has been linked to a computer. <v Joel Grey>By stimulating the hair, the researchers hope to reproduce the same effect that <v Joel Grey>a soundwave would have on it. <v Joel Grey>Your hearing is the last sense to develop. <v Joel Grey>So premature infants are especially prone to hearing problems. <v Joel Grey>New technology allows us to actually listen in on the brain activity of this lightly <v Joel Grey>sleeping baby to determine how the brain will respond to a low intensity <v Joel Grey>sound. <v Joel Grey>By examining the brain's reaction on a monitor and certain physical

<v Joel Grey>responses, the test reveals that this baby's hearing is just <v Joel Grey>fine. <v Joel Grey>With special training, hearing impaired children can learn how to function and fully <v Joel Grey>enjoy life without sound. <v Joel Grey>But the early detection of hearing loss can be a tremendously <v Joel Grey>important advantage. <v Non-Dialog Sound>[Indistinct conversation between a speech therapist and mother.]. <v Joel Grey>It's just as important if the child has any ability to hear whatsoever that parents <v Joel Grey>do everything possible to nurture that precious bit of hearing. <v Speech therapist 2>Going to pack your lunchbox. <v Jamie>?inaudible? <v Speech therapist 2>Good language. <v Speech therapist 2>Jamie, could you get me an apple? <v Speech therapist 2>I'd like an apple. <v Speech therapist 2>Put it in your lunchbox. <v Speech therapist 2>Thank you. Jamie, I want the banana. <v Speech therapist 2>That's not the banana.

<v Speech therapist 2>You're teasing. I want the banana. <v Bobby Barris>Okay, let's do it one more time, this time with ?inaudible? <v Joel Grey>So what we're finally realizing that the elderly are an extremely valuable <v Joel Grey>resource for all of us. <v Joel Grey>A natural loss of hearing can mean a needless loss of a valuable <v Joel Grey>member of society. <v Bobby Barris>And the next word is wonderful. <v Joel Grey>These men and women are learning to hear with ears that don't hear as well as they used <v Joel Grey>to. <v Non-Dialog Sound>[Elderly folks practicing their hearing in a group]. <v Joel Grey>It's a challenge and it's never too late to get help from those who care. <v Bobby Barris>Evaluate your own ?inaudible?

<v Joel Grey>This woman, Bobby Barris, cares a great deal. <v Joel Grey>She lost her hearing at the age of 3. <v Bobby Barris>Evaluate your own formation, articulation speech. <v Joel Grey>Bobby Barris is just one example of how totally unimpaired <v Joel Grey>the hearing impaired can be. <v Sound technician>Your primary calibration signal, one kilohertz. <v Sound technician>140 ?inaudible?. <v Joel Grey>Technology may be the cause of much of our noise pollution, but it can also be the cure. <v Sound technician 2>Okay Jeff, I'm going to apply a calibration signal to microphone number 1. <v Joel Grey>While a certain noise level is unavoidable, research is going on as to how to control <v Joel Grey>it by spreading frequencies to produce a less offensive <v Joel Grey>masking noise.

<v Joel Grey>By designing barriers to absorb and isolate noise. <v Sound technician 3>Close it up, take it out for a run. <v Joel Grey>And by eliminating the peaks and high frequencies of certain noises <v Joel Grey>to try to neutralize the harmful effects on the ear. <v Sound technician 3>A lot of <v Sound technician 3>shock noise. <v Joel Grey>Other research is being conducted to chart the acoustics of the year, to learn how sounds <v Joel Grey>are affected by the ear itself and exactly what happens to the ear <v Joel Grey>when a hearing aid is inserted. <v Joel Grey>The results of this research will make it easier for all of us to hold on to the precious

<v Joel Grey>gift of sound. <v Joel Grey>Our culture is absolutely in love with a package looking for just <v Joel Grey>the right fashion and design to project just the right image. <v Joel Grey>We dress to say something special about ourselves. <v Joel Grey>But a hearing aid can help us know something about each other. <v Hearing Aid Technician>What you've got here is a loss in both years, as you know, and the recommendation here <v Hearing Aid Technician>on your chart is that you'll be fitted with both ears. <v Hearing Aid Technician>Now, there are two types of hearing aids that I can show you that <v Hearing Aid Technician>will fit your situation very nicely. <v Skirt fitter>This is the Betty Boop here. They say that's falling nicely <v Skirt fitter>at the back. The waist is slightly large. <v Hearing Aid Customer>Is it going to hurt? <v Hearing Aid Technician>No, I don't think so. I promise not to <v Hearing Aid Technician>hurt you, okay?

<v Skirt fitter>The waist, the waist is done. <v Hearing Aid Technician>The next step that we're going to do will be to put a plug <v Hearing Aid Technician>in that ear. <v Skirt fitter>Turn back, Kathy. <v Skirt fitter>I'm thinking maybe we can even ?inaudible? <v Skirt fitter>on it? <v Joel Grey>A fitting for a hearing aid is just as easy as being fitted for clothes. <v Skirt fitter>Thank you, Kathy. <v Joel Grey>You pick the design that suits you. And it's measured and tailored. <v Hearing Aid Technician>You've seen that. Now we're going to apply it to your ear. <v Joel Grey>No matter how little a person can hear, how softly you feel the touch <v Joel Grey>of sound, there are still many ways to sense the vibrations. <v Hearing Aid Customer>It sounds beautiful. <v Hearing Aid Technician>Oh, that's great. All right. <v Hearing Aid Customer>Thank you. <v Joel Grey>Sound, in the beginning, it helped keep us alive.

<v Joel Grey>And today it enlivens our lives with culture. <v Joel Grey>It's what brings us together, it's how we feel about our world and becoming a part of it. <v Joel Grey>Sound. Our ears capture it, process it ,and then send it straight to our minds. <v Joel Grey>So it's the symphony of the universe composed <v Joel Grey>by the mind and brought to you by your remarkable ability <v Joel Grey>to hear. <v Announcer>This program was made possible by a grant from the Grace Foundation, Inc.

<v Announcer>and the program fund of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.