Dangerously Loud!

Could the sheer noise level at the pep rally be harmful to your ears? For me, it's dismaying how soft my hearing becomes after the rally every year. After overhearing Mr. Jones, Band Director, talking about the dangers of the loudness of the rally I decided to interview him to get an idea of what he meant.

Connor Murphy: How do you feel about the noise level at the pep rally?

Jason Jones: I believe the noise occasionally reaches dangerous levels.

CM: What constitutes a dangerous amount of noise?

JJ: Your eardrum can only handle certain levels of decibels, and once your eardrum has been exposed to dangerous levels, you can no longer hear the frequencies of that noise.

CM: How do you feel about music playing constantly between every event?

JJ: I think it would be a great idea for the band to play the entire pep rally

instead of having a DJ.

CM: You don't feel that it adds to the noise levels?

JJ: I actually don't, to be honest, because your ears react differently to

pitched music than to standard noise.

CM: What would your recommendation be to fix the noise levels of the rally?

(It should be noted that at this point, Matt Smith, senior, chimed in with

"Just monitor the rally. It's like 'Yo sophomores, your decibels are way off

the charts, you gotta tone it down.'")

JJ: People should wear earplugs. People should employ hearing protection.

CM: Do you feel the class color change will affect the noise level?

JJ: I do not believe the class color issue will affect the noise level. I do think

it's a good idea, though. The rally has been too divisive over the past few

years.

You heard it here from the expert! Remember kids, when your ears ring, it's actually the sound of ear cells dying. Those ear cells, when ringing produce the frequency that only they can sense, so if your ears ring, enjoy it. It's the last time you'll hear that frequency. Wear earplugs if you don't want to be an ear cell murder accomplice.