Bach as a Biscuit, and 6 More Stories You Need to See

Virtual reality! Acrobatic flutists! Yo-Yo Ma! This week, our link roundup is a grab-bag. Let's go!

1. Interested in seeing a revolutionary new portable music stand? Gone are the days of heavy foldable metal stands that can't hold anything heavier than a sheet or two of music -- this one wants to help you practice anytime, anywhere.

2. Show your flute teacher this video the next time they tell you to maintain proper posture when you're playing:

3. Opera fans who choose to dine at the Sydney Opera House's outdoor bar and restaurant will soon be protected from seagulls -- thanks to a pack of cute patrol dogs!

4. We've talked about Virtual Reality and music here before -- but a new project is using VR to make playing instruments more accessible and inclusive to people of all abilities.

5. Composer Julia Wolfe, who won a Pulitzer for her oratorio "Anthracite Fields," debuted a new one this week: "Fire in my mouth," which honors the victims of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. It includes a choir of 146 women and girls, the exact number of victims from the fire, and while they're singing, they'll also use scissors... as musical instruments. Michael Cooper of the New York Times accompanied her around New York's Garment District on her hunt for the perfect scissor sound.

6. Imagine walking down a street in Mumbai. You see a musician performing by the side of the road. You walk closer, and suddenly you realize -- it's Yo-Yo Ma?! It happened, and the pictures and videos are everything.

7. Congratulations are in order -- Gustavo Dudamel is the first Venezuelan ever to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame! Bravo, Maestro!

8. Hats off to Leah Broad for this thread: composers as cookies. It starts with Bach, and gets a whole lot deeper: