By Mary Ann Bourbeau
RED BANK – Chris Corley started playing guitar as a teenager and decided to pursue a career in music. When a genetic heart condition and other health issues kept him from touring like many of his musician friends, he found other ways to use his skills, concentrating on teaching, songwriting and performing.
Corley is now also the director of Studio to Stage Productions, a music school and state-of-the-art recording studio that opened last month in Englishtown. Studio to Stage provides private instruction and ensemble lessons for beginner, intermediate and advanced students on everything from vocal, percussion, horns and strings to songwriting. Corley teaches guitar and performance/ensemble classes and helps his students record their self-penned songs.
“A lot of schools in the area focus on cover tunes,” said the Red Bank resident. “We like to nurture the small percentage of people creating original music. Our recording studio is amazing, with six gorgeous, soundproof lesson rooms. There’s nothing like it in the area.”
Corley always knew he wanted a career in music. He took private guitar lessons before entering Berklee College of Music in Boston. After a year there, he didn’t feel the school was the right fit, so he headed for Los Angeles and spent a year studying guitar at the Musicians Institute. Since then, he’s been teaching private lessons, playing gigs and writing songs.
He sends his songs to a music company in Los Angeles and has had some success. Several songs, both instrumental and vocal, have been used in movies and television shows. “Leave Our Worries,” written with Holmdel lawyer/songwriter Jon D’Agostino, was featured in the opening credits of the 2011 film, “Thin Ice,” starring Academy Award nominee Greg Kinnear.
“I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “To be in the theater and hear the snare hit the first note of my song – it’s my claim to fame.”
It turns out he and D’Agostino are a good songwriting team, with Corley writing the music and D’Agostino penning the lyrics. They were finalists in the 2019 John Lennon Songwriting Contest with their tune “I Can’t Turn It Off.”
“It’s a beautiful duet that’s starting to get some interest,” said Corley.
Another of his co-writers, Kylie Rothfield, appeared on “The Voice” in 2016 and was coached by Alicia Keys throughout the season.
Corley’s songs have been featured on Showtime’s “House of Lies” and “Nurse Jackie,” in the independent film “Geography Club” and in various placements on the Discovery Channel, VH1, TLC and E! He and co-writers D’Agostino and Maureen Fichten also wrote a song for Bravo’s “Summer House.”
“It keeps me going as a creative artist, and it also helps my credentials as a musician and teacher,” he said.
Corley has also developed his skills in the studio, earning a mastering credit on the Universal release of the album, “Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Song Book.”
“I try to balance my careers as a teacher, musician and director,” he said. “The more hats you wear, the better.”
Corley has been teaching private lessons to kids and adults on both acoustic and electric guitar for 14 years and believes he’s making a difference in his students’ lives.
“Even if it’s just a hobby, playing an instrument has benefits that last for the rest of your life,” he said. “When you’re stressed out, you can just pick up your guitar and play. It nourishes the soul.”
For more information on Studio to Stage Productions, visit stosp.net.
To find out more about Corley, visit @ChrisCorleyMusic on Facebook or YouTube or chris-corley-guitar-lessons.business.site.
Arts and entertainment writer Mary Ann Bourbeau can be reached at mbourbeau@tworivertimes.com.
