Could music one day be something we experience through augmented reality, responding to the way we move through the world? Sound supplemented with colours and shapes? Mavis Wong/The Conversation NY-BD-CC

Trust Me, I’m An Expert: How augmented reality may one day make music a visual, interactive experience

Music The Conversation67.8 MB (download)
Today, we're hearing about a researcher who records birdsong, how tech changes music and why song might help address Indigenous language loss.
Pied butcherbirds, such as this one, sing solos, duos and trios. © Duade Paton

Birdsong has inspired humans for centuries: is it music?

Is birdsong simply a hard-wired, functional, primitive sound – or could we call it ‘music’? Australia’s pied butcherbirds show there are surprising overlaps between birds’ and humans’ musical abilities.
Roseina Boston onstage at the 2005 Melbourne International Arts Festival with the ensemble Pannikin. (Courtesy Jon Rose, used with permission.)

Art of the gumleaf: Gumbaynggirr elder Roseina Boston turns 80

The gumleaf is a wind instrument that comes with a steep learning curve. Today we celebrate the 80th birthday of one of its key proponents, Roseina Boston.
The lyrebird courtship display involves dancing and mimicry. David Cook/Flickr

Lyrebirds mimicking chainsaws: fact or lie?

The lyrebird is considered one of Australia’s best-known birds — you might recognise them from our 10 cent coin — but do we really know them? Famed for their spectacular courtship display, you may have…

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