MUSIC LISTENING SOFTWARE FOR ADULT COCHLEAR IMPLANT USERS

Geffriaud G (1), Rocca C (2).

(1) Institut Saint-Pierre, Service d’Audiophonologie, 34250 Palavas les flots, France. Hospital Gui de Chauliac, Service ORL, 34000 montpellier, France. (2)Mary Hare School, United Kingdom. Advanced Bionics Europe, France.

Music is a universal language that gives emotion. In contrast with our prejudice, it is reachable by any cochlear implant user. Nevertheless, it sometimes needs a little training.

“Atmosphère musicale” is an interactive music discovery software, set out as a game, for hearing-impaired adults. Instead of testing, the main goal is listening to music samples of carefully graded difficulty with playing pleasure. The structure of the software is divided in five themes (mood in film soundtracks, instrument recognition, voice recognition, mother language recognition, and lyrics identification), each of them including numerous levels of complexity. The software user just needs to follow the questions that are not only made to help his understanding but also to entertain. (For instance, in the level one of the voice recognition section: “Try to imagine the way the singer looks, his age, his gender…”) Answers can be glanced before listening, guessed or checked out at any time. All the uses are appropriate. Many bonuses are given to show the clips. Links to go further in music listening on the web are also provided.

Very quickly users will find out that music can be reached and that they can recognize by themselves instruments, singers, lyrics… They will discover standards, classical music but also “trendy” music and will astonish their friends and family.

The CD (software) can be taken home and used for an individual exploration of all aspects of music.

Auditory rehabilitation thus appears not to be only synonymous of efforts and stress: it may also be a source of entertainment.

Email: geraldinegeffriaud@free.fr