The Point

At a typical classical music concert you’d be shocked to hear the audience erupt in laughter or spontaneously applause in the middle of the piece. But violinist Aleksey Igudesman and pianist Hyung-Ki Joo’s performances are anything but typical and while they are both serious musicians- they’re hardly ever serious.

Confidence and success: which comes first? What role does perception play? How do we define success? Psychiatrist Marc Whaley and Psychologist Michael Abruzzese discuss the psychology of success with Mindy Todd on The Point. They share what the latest research tells us about how people acquire high levels of skill in science, business, music, the arts and sports.

Spring Bird News: the returning migrants arrive, more each day, along with the first blooms and the spring insects. Nantucket Ornithologist Vern Laux tells of courtship displays and nest building, the First of the Year birds, and much more, with Mindy Todd on The Point.

Music has been called the universal language and noted as one of the things that make humans distinct. But when did we first make music?

A look at some of the week's top news with local journalists George Brennan of the Cape Cod Times; Tim Wood of the Cape Cod Chronicle; Joshua Balling of the Nantucket Inquirer and Mirror; Sally Rose of the Provincetown Banner; and Nelson Sigelman of the Martha's Vineyard Times.

According to the National Coalition for Domestic Violence, one in four women will be the victim of domestic violence in her lifetime.

One hundred years ago, the last passenger pigeon, named Martha, died in captivity at the Cincinnati Zoo. Not long before Martha died, passenger pigeons flew in packs so large over the U.S. and Canada they could block out the sun for days. Mindy Todd talks with author and naturalist Joel Greenberg about what lead to the extinction of the passenger pigeon and what it teaches us about the importance of conservation.

Nick Trout, Veterinary Surgeon and Author, talks about his work, his writing, and the animals that have inspired him. His latest book is Dog Gone, Back Soon.

Research into youth mentoring programs has shown that these programs have a positive impact on kids. But some parents are reluctant to enroll their children for fear of stigmatization or because of concerns about safety. Sean Corcoran talks with a parent who enrolled her child in Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cape Cod and we hear about two new site based mentoring programs.

A look at some of the week's top news with local journalists.  Among the stories we talk about: oyster thefts uncovered; an acquittal in a high-profile Falmouth murder trial; new drug policies applauded; Outer Cape Health Services to expand; affordable housing proposed for Harwich Middle School; Provincetown may ban single-use plastic bags; Nantucket's commercial scallop season ends, and the island's marine mammal stranding team left without funding; and town meeting season gets underway.