Sound FX
The Sound FX program brings together music, story, cultural knowledge, and language through long-term collaborations with education and community partners in the Fitzroy Valley.
Led by award-winning community music composer and researcher Dr Gillian Howell, Sound FX explores how music-making can strengthen wellbeing, language knowledge, and healing within communities. Now in its seventh year, the program continues to nurture new music through collaboration at every stage of creation.
At its heart, Sound FX supports the revitalisation of local Aboriginal languages while developing opportunities for performance, education, and the wider sharing of new cultural works. The program creates space for community members to expand their musical skills and make music together in diverse and meaningful ways.
Gillian Howell
Program Director
Musician, researcher and educator Dr Gillian Howell is a musical connector and changemaker whose creative practice and applied research investigate the social, cultural and political contributions of place-based community music making. Much of her work concerns music in peacebuilding, community dialogue, and self-determination in places recovering from war, crisis, or disaster. Gillian is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne and has been the director of Tura’s Sound FX community music partnership program in the Kimberley since it began in 2017.
Annika Moses
Workshop Facilitator
Annika is a sound artist with an eclectic and genre-diverse practice. She performs under the monikers Nika Mo, Great Statue, and contributes to the local ecology of experimental sound both as an individual and as a co-director of Tone List label. Annika facilitates sound-based creative projects with Martu, Gija, Bunuba, Gooniyandi and Walmatjarri language groups.
Baya Gawiy Children and Family Centre & Marninwarntikura Women’s Resource Centre
Marninwarntikura Women’s Resource Centre (MWRC) works with Fitzroy Valley women and their families to promote safety, wellbeing, leadership, and financial independence. Through culturally respectful advocacy, mentoring, and support, MWRC empowers families to thrive.
The Baya Gawiy Buga yani Jandu yani u Centre focuses on improving health and education outcomes for children and families in the Fitzroy Valley. Opened in 2013, it was developed under the National Partnership Agreement for Indigenous Early Childhood Development and forms part of the Council of Australian Governments’ Closing the Gap initiative.
“Baya Gawiy” means freshwater whipray in Bunuba, and “Buga yani Jandu yani u” means for all the children and their families. The centre reflects the principle of Indigenous Ways of Knowing and Doing, celebrating the diversity of the Fitzroy Valley while providing a welcoming, safe, and respectful environment for all.
Fitzroy Valley District High School
Fitzroy Valley District High School focuses on literacy and numeracy development from Kindergarten to Year 12.
The school serves students from a wide range of Fitzroy Valley communities, including Junjuwa, Kurnangki, Mindi Radi, Loamnbu, Burruwa, Biridu, Darlngunya, Jimbalakudunj, Karmparrmi, and Gillarong. Many students travel daily from surrounding areas such as Muludja, Wangkatjungka, Ngalankadji, Mimbi, Numpan, Joy Springs, and Bayulu.
By valuing culture and language alongside formal education, Fitzroy Valley District High School ensures that Aboriginal identity, respect, and connection to community remain central to its teaching and learning environment.
Sound FX is supported by the Australian Government’s Indigenous Languages and Arts Program, the Western Australian Government, Minderoo Foundation, The Feilman Foundation and The University of Melbourne.
Buga Yanu Junba
The Flow Album
The album Flow: Songs and stories from the Fitzroy Valley features a collection of songs written and recorded as part of Sound FX, the Fitzroy Valley New Music Project created and provided by Tura New Music in Fitzroy Crossing twice-yearly. It was released October 28, 2021.
Students from the Fitzroy Valley District High School, Bayulu Remote Community School, and Muludja Remote Community School came created the lyrics in workshops in their schools and then came together at Fitzroy Valley District High School to record their vocals. Songs in the Flow Album feature Bunuba, Walmajarri, Gooniyandi and English languages.
Credits:
Creative director – Gillian Howell (director of Sound FX)
Produced by Gillian Howell and Alan Pigram
Engineered and mastered by Alan Pigram
View the full music and lyric credits and purchase the album on Bandcamp.
Baya Gawiy Song Writing Project by Gillian Howell | Pursuit Magazine
Interview with Gillian Howell | Tura News
These Fitzroy Crossing women are teaching their languages through bright and bold picture books | NITV
The New Songs at Baya Gawiy Report is a summary of findings from Baya Gawiy's Songwriting Action Research partnership between Marninwarntikura Women's Resource Centre, Tura's Sound FX Program and the University of Melbourne.
Researchers: Patricia Cox, Susan Loughlin, Amy Menzies, June Nixon (MWRC); Gillian Howell (University of Melbourne, project leader), Annika Moses (Tura).
Songwriters: Patsy Bedford, Marcia Cook, Patricia Cox and family, Samantha Frank, Jayedene Green, Susan Hoad, Eva Nargoodah, June Nixon, Amarillo Oscar, Delphine Shandley, Brenda Shaw (contributors to the Language, Culture, and Wellbeing program at Baya Gawiy Buga Yani Jandu Yani U, MWRC’s Early Childhood programs); Gillian Howell and Annika Moses (Sound FX team).
Big Language Education Yarn: Patsy Bedford, Marmingee Hand, Eva Nargoodah, June Nixon, Brenda Shaw (senior language custodians), with members of Baya Gawiy’s Language, Culture and Wellbeing team.
