Among the countless areas disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, music was certainly among those most affected. Bands and music groups could no longer meet to rehearse, live music was canceled for more than a year, and physical sales of albums saw sharp declines.

But for a group of hard-of-hearing cochlear implant users, the opportunity to create, discuss, and appreciate music played on. The “Cochlear Implant Music Hour,” a weekly session conceived of by Dr. Raymond Goldsworthy and the members of the Bionic Ear Lab at the USC Caruso Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, was only able to meet in person for a single session before the pandemic forced them from the music room and onto online platforms like Zoom.

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