RDAM Associate Professor and tonmeister Jesper Andersen Awarded PhD
The research project, whose full title is 'Music and Individuals with Hearing Impairments – Developing and Exploring Music Training, Concert Experiences and Multimodal Approaches for Users of Hearing Aids and Cochlear Implants', was conducted in collaboration between RDAM and Aalborg University, and has been running since 2020. Rooted in music, the project involved broad participation from 500 individuals across Denmark, as well as a number of professionals in the field of hearing, including the Copenhagen Hearing and Balance Center at Rigshospitalet.
Hearing loss is a growing issue in the Danish population, often resulting in those most severely affected losing access to music and consequently experiencing a reduced quality of life. This is the challenge Jesper Andersen set out to investigate. Through the project, he has developed methods for training music perception. Notably, this training differs from other approaches by taking place in participants’ own homes, allowing it to fit into everyday life. The result has been that people with severe hearing loss have regained access to music in their lives.
In addition, Jesper Andersen has explored concert experiences for individuals with severe hearing loss and identified ways to make concerts more inclusive. This includes recommendations for the planning and execution of concerts – both rhythmic and classical. In this part of the project, it was demonstrated that individuals with severe hearing loss can indeed enjoy classical music, contrary to findings in previous research.
With his professional background as a tonmeister, Jesper Andersen has been in a unique position to combine artistic and musical practice with traditional research. The project builds on RDAM’s research and development work as well as technologies for distance learning, where efforts have focused on achieving optimal sound under challenging conditions. From this foundation arose Andersen’s interest in the perception of music through hearing aids and cochlear implants.
Following an impressive defence on 24 March 2026, a happy, proud, and relieved Jesper Andersen was able to open a well-deserved Limfjordsporter and relax: “It is wonderful to have completed the process, and I now look forward to continuing my research at RDAM – but also to seeing my training programme live on for the benefit of everyone with severe hearing loss,” says Jesper Andersen.
“Jesper Andersen’s achievement of his PhD degree is a significant personal accomplishment for him, and at the same time a great source of pride for RDAM. His research not only strengthens our knowledge base and development as an institution – it also makes an important societal contribution to the development of an inclusive musical environment,” says President Helene Gjerris.
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Watch the defence
Read the thesis
Learn more about the project
Read the article RDAM offers music training for people with hearing loss
