Finding Joy in the Symphony of Life

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About the Episode

Musician and Belmont alumnus Cody Fry shares a glimpse into the heart of an artist driven by love for his craft despite adversity and challenges staying creatively inspired.

Remaining Joyful. Identifying Mentors. Navigating Challenges.

A talented musician, composer and Belmont alumnus, Cody Fry’s music brims with joy, hope and creativity. From his viral hit I Hear a Symphony to his passion for making orchestral music accessible to new audiences, Cody’s journey offers a captivating glimpse into the heart of an artist driven by love for his craft. Along the way, he has navigated the highs of success, the challenges of staying creatively inspired and the personal growth that comes with adversity.

This episode covers…

• Cody’s journey to becoming a talented musician, blending genres to create joy and music that resonate with audiences of all ages.
• TThe importance of solid mentorship and community building to achieving one’s goals in the arts.
• Cody’s redefined dream of success beyond his profession, and how it drives him to continue onward daily.

A Musical Upbringing Rooted in Joy

Finding joy in music has always been a part of Cody’s life, deeply influenced by his upbringing. “My parents are both very joyful people, and my father in particular—he's a musician—his joy and love of music was just so contagious.”

He recalls watching his father create music in his studio, fully immersed in the process. “I just always thought, that looks so much fun,” Cody says. “Watching him be so expressive about the joy he felt while playing music, it just seemed very obvious to me that that’s how it’s supposed to be done." 

Finding joy in the performing arts became the foundation on which Cody built his own style, blending pop and orchestral styles of music in unexpected ways. His unique genre-mixed performances redefine the boundaries of music and resonate with audiences of all ages.

Cody’s innovative approach aims to inspire younger musicians, particularly those who might feel disconnected from classical music. “My whole goal as a musician is to just make music that is approachable and fun,” he offers, hoping to inspire others to try something new. 

“I think about that person in fourth grade who’s learning the flute but doesn’t see the flute played in the music they like to listen to,” he explains. “I think to myself, I should make some music that uses the flute in a way that they actually think is cool and not something that’s just from a classical music museum.”

Cody’s career reached new heights with the viral success of his song, I Hear a Symphony. The track gained massive popularity on TikTok, propelling Cody into the spotlight.

“I was not sitting in a room going, okay, how can I engineer this song to become really popular,” Cody shares. Instead, he describes it as a “lightning strike” of luck. “That song in particular is the thing that I always wanted to do but didn’t know if anyone would actually like. So for that to be the song that really put me on the map, it just gave me such encouragement to say, ‘there is something about this thing that you should keep pursuing.’”

The Importance of Mentorships & Community

Cody credits much of his success to the mentors and community he found at Belmont and beyond. “No one gets anywhere without great mentors,” he emphasizes. “I had so many great music teachers over my life, starting in grade school.”

His first and “best mentor” was his father, who demystified the music industry for him. “Talk about luck,” he jokes. “I got to see what it looked like in reality.”

It’s no surprise then that Cody’s fondest performance to date was when he took the stage at the Fisher Center to perform with a full orchestra alongside his father, an opportunity he approached with a once-in-a-lifetime attitude. “That night at the Fisher Center was truly my favorite night of my whole career. And I mean, still to this day.”

Attending music programs, he believes, goes beyond education. At Belmont, Cody says he found inspiration not only from his teachers but also from his peers.

“The reason to do it is the other students because this will be the first time in your life—and maybe the last time in your life—where you're just completely surrounded by people who are as passionate about the thing you're passionate about. And that's so rare and cool.”

For aspiring musicians, Cody’s advice is simple: “I would say to my younger self, make as many friends as you can. That's the goal of being here, is to just create community,” he offers. “Find your people, find more people, be the one that invites others in. I think that's the best thing you can do to make your university experience the best in terms of how to be a better artist. 

Navigating Challenges and Staying Grounded

While Cody’s career is marked by joy, he reveals has faced personal challenges, including a period of intense anxiety during the pandemic and a sudden cancellation of a major tour that left him reeling.

“I feel like in 2020, probably everybody had some anxiety going on, but for me, it really hit super hard,” he shared. “It’s easy to talk about anxiety and depression and feel like you can understand it, but it is something that you really can’t understand until you’ve been through it yourself.”

Now with a better and deeper understanding of mental health, Cody credits the support of loved ones and the grounding experience of live performances for helping him move forward. “I had so many people in my life that were willing to step in and say, ‘Hey, we're here for you.’ And so when you're going through something like that, you see how many people are there for you and love you.”

“When I get to go out and play live, not only do I get to interact with these orchestra musicians and other musicians generally,” he says, “I get to remind myself, that’s the sound that I love. And then the audience is there, and I get to interact with fans. It kind of reminds me, oh yeah, there are real people out here that are being impacted by what I’m doing.”

Today, Cody’s dreams are centered on his family and finding simple joy in life. “I’ve had enough of a taste of success to realize that’s really not the thing that’s going to make me feel happy with my life at the end of the day,” he shares.

Instead, his focus is on “being able to see my daughter grow up. That’s a small dream,” he reveals. “But even the small dreams I would say are God-sized dreams. And so I think I'm trying to discover the beauty in just every day right now.”