8 . How to Organize a Music Festival

You love music and you always have. You want to carry out a music festival designed to attract music fans of all ages. Follow the steps and you’ll organize a successful one.

◆Start by making a list of the local bands and artists that you like. You’ve taken this job because you love music, so put your taste to work for you. If you like these musicians, many of the local people will also like them.     1    . You need to have many kinds of music for all age groups.

◆Find a great location that has much open space for outdoor festivals. You need to build a stage so the musicians can be seen from distances.     2    . Not all towns need such license but it is a good idea to check before you start building. For an indoor location, you need to find a theater that is willing to give you enough space.     3    .

◆Hire sound engineers to give the musicians all the help they need.     4    . You can’t expect the musicians to handle these problems because they are playing. Your sound and engineering experts will allow your stars to keep the music playing.

◆    5    . If you are planning your festival for families, the last thing you want is a beer-swilling crowd starting a huge fight. Security people need to be present to make sure that nobody gets the idea that they want to start any kind of ruckus (骚乱).

10 . Do you often listen to music at loud volumes? You should know that this habit is bad for your hearing, according to the World Health Organization(WHO).

Over 1 billion young people are at risk of hearing loss due to listening to loud noises for long periods of time, WHO said.    1    

The United Nations has standards for safe listening. It is not safe to listen to sounds that are louder than 85 decibels (dB,分贝) for eight hours or 100 dB for 15 minutes. The sound of a busy road is about 85 dB and the sound of a rock concert can be about 100 dB.

    2     Most of us are born with about 16,000 hair cells(听毛细胞）in our inner ears. These cells detect sounds. However, listening to loud noises for a long time can make these cells work too hard and cause some of them to die.    3    

Some people might think that their music isn't all that loud.     4    For example, if you are in a noisy place like the subway, you might turn up your music too loud without realizing it. Later, when you listen to it at the same volume in a quiet place, it may sound uncomfortably loud.

WHO said the “safe level” for most sound is below 80 decibels for up to 40 hours a week.     5    .