Music perception and enjoyment with hearing loss: what hearing aids and cochlear implants can—and cannot—do

Music is a complex auditory stimulus characterized by spectral and temporal elements that is a fundamental part of the human experience across cultures. Music perception and enjoyment are distinct yet related experiences of music that can be assessed using a variety of standardized survey instruments, qualitative interviews, and neuroimaging studies. Hearing loss significantly diminishes music perception and enjoyment, and current hearing devices can only partially restore these qualities. In cochlear implant users especially, technological limitations of devices uniquely compromise their experience of music, but the wide variability in individual outcomes suggests that multiple listener and device-related factors contribute to music perception and enjoyment. Ongoing research into music modification, device programming, and music-based training aim to improve music outcomes in people using hearing devices.