Can I Enjoy Music With a Cochlear Implant?
Music is such an important part of our lives. It has the power to make us cry. To inspire us. To bring us together. It’s hard to imagine life without it. But if you have severe or profound hearing loss, you might have packed away your instruments or stopped listening to your favorite tunes. A cochlear implant can bring the joy of music back to you. Let us show you how.
Return to Music With a Cochlear Implant From MED-EL
With the right cochlear implant, listening to long-forgotten songs—or even mastering a new instrument—is well within your grasp. Many MED-EL cochlear implant users enjoy listening to music and find that music sounds natural to them. And some of our users go even further: they don’t just listen to music, they play it too. From amateur singers to concert pianists, with the right cochlear implant, anything is possible.
7.7/10
I enjoy listening to music with my cochlear implant system.*7.5/10
Music sounds natural to me.*
“I lost music. With my implants, music came back to me. And now I know that music enriches my life.”
Laura Korhonen
MED-EL cochlear implant recipient, singer and music teacher
World-Class Music
Laura’s Journey
Grzegorz’ Story
Making World-Class Music
Professional musicians need to hear the finest details of every note. So it’s hard to imagine that they can still create world-class music with hearing loss. But these inspiring musicians have been able to master music after getting a cochlear implant. Watch their performances from the Sound Sensation music festival.
How Laura Returned to Music
As a singer and music teacher, music means everything to Laura. But for a few years, hearing loss halted her musical career, and she almost gave up on it completely. After receiving MED-EL cochlear implants and hearing rehabilitation, Laura could start up her career once more, and is the lead singer of her folk band.
Following His Dream: Grzegorz’ Story
Grzegorz was born with hearing loss, which went undiagnosed till the age of 14. Although he didn’t speak, and couldn’t hear consonants, he fell in love with playing the piano. When he finally got diagnosed, he started using hearing aids, but they didn’t let him hear high-pitched sounds. He decided to get a cochlear implant. After surgery and rehab, Grzegorz could hear high tones well enough to attend music school and follow his dreams.
Ideal for Music: MED-EL Cochlear Implants
Enjoying music at such a high level isn’t possible with every cochlear implant. MED-EL cochlear implants are designed to give you the closest to natural hearing by mimicking the way our ears naturally work. Thanks to our advanced sound coding strategies and long electrodes, our cochlear implants help you hear every tone and the fine details of your favorite songs. This makes MED-EL cochlear implants the ideal cochlear implant for music.
- Experience closest to natural hearing
- Hear low and high tones
- Enjoy the fine details of music
“This implant gave me the ability to hear high tones to such a degree that it is possible for me to tune the piano.”
Grzegorz Płonka
MED-EL cochlear implant recipient and pianist
“After losing my hearing, it was difficult to listen to music. And now with the cochlear implant, I can hear more overtones and undertones. I appreciate music to the fullest.”
Russell Tyler
MED-EL cochlear implant recipient and oboist
A Better Quality of Life With Music
This approach to cochlear implant technology is no coincidence. From the very beginning, we’ve wanted to deliver the best sound quality possible to our implant users. That means not only understanding speech but being able to appreciate music too. Music is such an important part of life, and we believe that everyone should be able to enjoy it.
“Our mission is to help people overcome hearing loss as a barrier to communication and quality of life. And, of course, music enjoyment is a big part of quality in life.”
Ingeborg Hochmair
MED-EL CEO and pioneer of the modern cochlear implant
Start Your Hearing Journey
Our local hearing experts are ready to help guide you or your loved one on the journey to enjoy music. They can tell you more about cochlear implants in your country and talk you through the next steps. Simply fill in this contact form, and we’ll put you in touch.
*We asked more than 100 MED-EL CI users to rate how much they agree with the following statements, on a scale from 0/10 = “strongly disagree” to 10/10 = “strongly agree”. You can see their combined ratings here.
