USC Sound Professional and Vocal Performer Center
Our Program
While most ear, nose and throat (ENT) clinics can provide clinical care for routine types of hearing and voice disorders, there are situations in which routine care won’t work and time is of the essence. At the USC Sound Professional and Vocal Performer Center, we address these challenging situations with highly specialized treatment options so you can get back to work fast.
Whether you are in business, music or the performing arts, our physicians are specially trained to deal with patients for whom communication is their livelihood. We offer consultations and treatments for a variety of professionals in the Los Angeles area, including:
- Actors/actresses
- Vocalists
- Musicians
- Sound technicians
- Business executives
- Teachers
- Therapists
- Salespeople
Our Approach
Our mission is simple: to serve the community of people who rely on their hearing and voice at the highest level. With strong grounding in the cutting-edge research provided by an academic medical institution, our interdisciplinary center provides advanced diagnostics and treatment for these individuals, using innovative assessment techniques and interventions based in strong basic research.
Typical diagnostic testing for hearing loss and vocal issues may not detect subtle changes that impact people who rely on their ears and voice to perform at the highest level of function. Because of this, we use advanced and investigative technologies that can identify subtle changes in hearing and voice well beyond those detected by standard diagnostic testing.
Related Conditions
- Autoimmune Sensorineural Hearing Loss
- Cholesteatoma
- Laryngitis
- Otosclerosis
- Reinkes Edema
- Spasmodic Dysphonia
Related Treatments
- Awake Laser Therapy/Pulsed KTP Laser Therapy
- Cochlear Implantation for Sensorineural Hearing Loss
- Inflammatory Causes of Hearing Loss
- Stapedotomy or Stapedectomy for Otosclerosis
Related Services
- Acoustic Assessment
- Aerodynamic Assessment
- High Definition Laryngeal Imaging
- Speaking and Singing Voice Skills Assessment
- Voice Range Profile
Patient Information
Frequently Asked Questions
How am I evaluated at the USC Sound Professional and Vocal Performer Center?
You will undergo multiple evaluations in our center by physicians with different specialties. Tests appropriate to your conditions will be conducted. In particular, you will have both your voice and your hearing evaluated. This is because a problem with one of these organs often affects the other in subtle ways.
Your visit will be coordinated so that everything will happen on one day. Please plan on visiting for several hours (four or more, in some cases).
After your visit, our physicians meet as a team to discuss your unique case. All of the data we have collected from you, both the clinical data and research data, will be reviewed. As a team, we will then develop a comprehensive treatment plan for you. Follow-up appointments will be arranged as necessary.
Do you offer participation in clinical trials?
Yes. As an academic medical center, we offer participation in the latest clinical trials for new treatment options. Ask your doctor or visit clinicaltrials.keckmedicine.org to find out if we are conducting a clinical trial that is relevant to you.
If you elect and consent to be part of a research study, that may also occur along with your clinical evaluation. While participating in these studies is optional, these tests represent the cutting edge of vocal and auditory research and are designed to provide additional insight into these types of subtle voice and hearing issues. We will carefully explain the risks and benefits of each study to you so you can make an informed decision about whether or not you wish to participate.
How do I make an initial appointment?
If you are interested in an evaluation at the USC Sound Professional and Vocal Performer Center
USC Sound Professional and Vocal Performer Center, please contact us at (800) USC-CARE (800-872-2273).
Now that I have an appointment, what’s next?
A patient navigator will coordinate your visit with you regarding your assessment results and your treatment plan, including:
- Core voice evaluation
- Core hearing evaluation
- Laryngology evaluation
- Otology/neurotology evaluation
- Advanced voice evaluations
- Advanced hearing evaluations
- Summary of evaluations from the visit
- Summary of the recommended treatment plan agreed upon at the interdisciplinary conference
Interventions for Voice and Hearing
The following are interventions that can be initiated via the USC Elite Listener and Vocal Performer Center to ensure voice issues and hearing loss are minimized.
Voice:
- Lifestyle counseling
- Behavioral intervention/voice therapy
- Singing voice therapy
- Topical therapies
- Alternative therapies
- Medical/surgical intervention
- Bio-injectables
Hearing:
- Counseling for hearing loss, hyperacusis and tinnitus
- Hearing aids (HA): behind-the-ear (BTE), in-the-ear (ITE), in-the-canal (ITC) and indwelling deep-in-the-ear devices. All major brands are available.
- Best practice: validating and verifying prescriptive targets for amplification
- Cochlear implantation. All FDA brands are available.
- Bone-anchored hearing aids (BAHA). All FDA brands are available.
- Musician earplugs that are custom-made for comfort
- Best practice: validating and verifying level of noise reduction
- Custom In-Ear Monitor (IEM) for musicians for use in practice and performance
- Assistive-listening devices (ALD) to aid hearing in meetings, work in classrooms, communication while dining in restaurants, watching TV, etc.
- Aural Rehabilitation (AR): retraining the brain to listen via interactive computer software (may be available via tablet)