Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the musical engagement (participation and
attitude) of pediatric cochlear implant (CI) recipients who were implanted during
early childhood and who have reached age 15 or older. A questionnaire was administered
to a group of 31 prelingually deaf CI users who receive annual follow-up services
and assessment in a clinical research center. The questionnaire was used to examine
involvement in and attitudes toward music in school, the community, and in the home;
social affiliation (hearing, deaf, both) and mode of communication (oral, manual,
both) also were examined. Despite the technical limitations of CIs in transmitting
pitch, melody, and tone quality, over two thirds of this sample described music as
being important or very important in their lives. A high level of past and present
familial involvement in music was associated with higher levels of current involvement
and importance of music in the lives of adolescent and young adult CI users. Comparisons
were noted with data from prior studies of persons with hearing loss who were non-CI
users.
Keywords
Cochlear implants - adolescents - music enjoyment
