Coda

 

In music, a coda (Italian for "tail", plural code) is a passage that brings a piece (or a movement) to an end. Technically, it is an expanded cadence. It may be as simple as a few measures, or as complex as an entire section.

CODA is also a 2021 coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Sian Heder. An English-language remake of the 2014 French-Belgian film La Famille Bélier, it stars Emilia Jones as the titular child of deaf adults (CODA) and only hearing member of a deaf family, who attempts to help her family's struggling fishing business, while pursuing her own aspirations of being a singer. Eugenio Derbez, Troy Kotsur, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Daniel Durant, and Marlee Matlin are featured in supporting roles. An international co-production between the United States and France with La Famille Bélier producer Philippe Rousselet reprising his role as producer, it was filmed on location in Gloucester, Massachusetts, in the United States.

Highly recommend.

In my continuing effort to understand our species I dwell into those who are not like us. They are not aliens but invisible. They walk among us but we do not pay attention.

Have you ever sat with a deaf person and try to communicate? They lip read and have a sign language that is beautiful to watch but I’m totally illiterate. Like people who live in a foreign land, there is a way to talk but it takes time. When you go to the grocery everyone speaks the same language, until they don’t.

Being a segregated culture just crossing the street can be stepping into a different world. It could be as simple as your clothing or your skin color.

Music is a great internationals method to combine different cultural sounds (unless you are deaf). Trying to teach a blind person the Mona Lisa or someone with down symptom algebra may take time but it is worth the effort.

No matter how we interchange with those who are ‘different’ at the end there is a coda. There will be an end to the cadence.

Let’s Write A Song

 

It is said to get your thoughts straight, write them down. It could be a to-do list or a thoughtful sentence or a paragraph or a page or a book or the next great American novel.

Or it could be a poem.

Take that earworm you’ve been humming in your head and combine the two.

You’ve written a song.

If you play the guitar or piano you can accompany yourself (doesn’t work as well with a tuba). Sing it while you are washing dishes or doing laundry or for good echo, singing in the shower.

Now you should record it so you can share it with all your friends. You can record a cassette tape but no one has a tape player anymore. There are tons of free software on the web that does the same stuff as a professional recording studio with multi-tracks for overdubs.

If you want other people to play along, you can get someone to transpose your song to little dots on paper. If you have some change in your pocket you can hand your sheet music score out to an orchestra to play along.

You can upload your digital song to all sorts of sites to distribute to others and get critical reviews. You may go viral?

If you decide you want to perform the song in front of a live audience you’ll have to get a manager to book gigs, sell tickets, manufacture merchandise and arrange for transportation for you and your band. You’ll need a lawyer to handle any plagiarism issues or contract requirements. You’ll need an accountant to handle all the money that is flowing in trying to keep up with your star lifestyle.

Wait!

What kind of song do you want to write?

Nursery songs are nice to put your baby asleep. A pop song would be fun to dance to. There is rock, soul, hip-hop, rap,…. Wear a pair of combat boots, stomp around and scream your heavy metal best (if your downstairs neighbors don’t mind). You can even write a protest song against all the disturbing news that fills our media everyday.