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Steven Corirossi

By Donna Smith

Each month, iParenting.com spotlights a father who inspires and moves us, who embodies the qualities that we all admire in a person, a man and a father. Above all, the Dad of the Month is dedicated to his children. Rich or poor, famous or not, he shines as an example of what fathering is all about.

Steven Corirossi knows a thing or two about playing to an audience. As a professional drummer, he has shared center stage with rock greats like Ted Nugent, Cheap Trick and Eddie Van Halen. With a love for the written word, Corirossi has collaborated on songs with other artists, but now, his two collaborators are his sons, and his new audience is children.

Corirossi says his love for music began at the early age of 8 – and he never looked back. "I would practice hours on end in the basement of my family's home in Rockford, Ill., with the full support of my parents," he says. "I knew immediately that drumming and music would be a very large part of my life."

At 15, Corirossi started his own band, Choyce. "I came up with the name Choyce while listening to a song by Foghat and doodling with a Choice No. 2 pencil," he says. "The 'i' in Choice had been slashed and looked like a 'y.'"

By 16, Choyce was performing at high school dances, bars and an occasional concert as an opening act for a national headliner. "During our first year of being together, we were offered to be the support band for Donny Most ('Ralph Malph' of Happy Days) as he made an appearance in Rockford for a charity event," Corirossi says.

The band had numerous gigs after that and lucked out when they rented studio space right next to Cheap Trick and were soon asked to open for them. One thing led to another, and as the years passed, the band had toured and opened for numerous headlining bands such as Head East, 38 Special, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Ted Nugent and April Wine. "It was a wonderful journey," Corirossi says.

Corirossi left the band and moved to Northern California in the mid-'80s, but he continued to pursue his musical career and played with Bay Area musicians such as Eddie Van Halen, Neal Schoen (Journey), John Hartman (Doobie Brothers) and Steve Perry. "Being a drummer has been a huge blessing in my life, and provided lifelong memories," Corirossi says.

Being a dad to J.J. (Jonathan Joseph), 12, and Jason (The Unit), 9 (a Leap Year baby), is now what rocks Corirossi's world. "They have been the light of my life ever since they came into our wonderful world," he says.

Corirossi says both of his boys are very athletic and do very well in school. And introducing them to a number of professional musicians has inspired both of his sons to follow in their dad's musical footsteps. "J.J. has been playing the saxophone for about three years now, and my youngest son, Jason, is currently taking guitar lessons," he says. "We are definitely a musical family, and there is always music wherever we go."

The Corirossi men enjoy many activities together. "Whether organizing a game of baseball, football or basketball with the neighborhood kids, going to the movies, enjoying an evening or two at our local library, playing a game that we created called hide-and-escape, or going to concerts," he says. "We also do a lot of hiking together around our beautiful state of Arizona."

When not hiking or hanging out with his boys, Corirossi can be found volunteering at area schools and reading to young children. He is an active member of his community, and is a member of the National PTA and the Arizona Authors Association.

Though divorced from his sons' mother, Cathy, the two have a very amicable relationship. He says she is an amazing person – kind, loving, caring and genuine – an awesome mother, stepmother (she has remarried) and he has the utmost respect for her. "The best thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother – regardless of the situation," he says.

Writing Rocks

Corirossi's love for writing led him down a new trail as a children's book author. Angus and the Forgotten Trails (iUniverse, 2005), an exciting family-friendly book full of adventure, mystery and suspense, is the latest installment of his Angus Book Series.

"There's so much power in the written word," Corirossi says. "I think mostly because it comes from the heart, from the depths of one's soul. Plus, the reader can exercise their own emotions, imagination from the words."

For Corirossi, writing for children was a simple decision. "I wanted to write family-friendly, enjoyable stories that kids could easily relate to and join in on the fun in their minds," he says. "I want the readers to be my coauthors, to exercise their imaginations and become part of the stories."

His sons are very involved in his writing process, and "are very instrumental when it comes to building the characters in my stories, as well as adding dialog between characters," he says. "It's basically like having a research team in my own backyard."

Corirossi wants parents to think about the following statistics:

• Over one million children without basic literacy skills drop out of school each year.
• Sixty-one percent of low-income families have no books in their homes.
• Since 1983, more than 10 million Americans reached the 12th grade without having learned to read at a basic level.
• Forty-four million adults in the United States cannot read a simple story to a child.

"Explore the world one word at a time ... Read!" is Corirossi's motto. As a literacy advocate, he encourages children to seek creative ways to express themselves and find their inner talents. "Being a literacy advocate is very important to me as well as my sons," he says. "Becoming [a literacy advocate] was like a calling. If I can inspire just one person in the world to realize the wonders and opportunities reading and writing provide, then I've made a positive difference in their life, and I consider that a huge success. It only takes one voice."

Corirossi feels that without basic reading skills, a person will end up struggling in most facets of their lives. "Reading helps language skills, comprehension, concentration, visual memory; it exercises the brain, and in many cases, sparks the imagination," he says. "Good reading skills will result in better communication and, I believe, strong self-esteem."

Corirossi encourages parents to get involved in their child's education. He says it immediately lets your child know that you care about him and his future. "Our teachers can't (and shouldn't have to) do it all," he says. "We all need to team up with our teachers and work with our children together. The more we're involved with their education, the better students they become, as well as better friends, better citizens and better sons and daughters. Education begins in the home."

And if that's true, J.J. and Jason are on a trail sure to be filled with music and literacy. "I believe that my sons are very proud of me, and they know how much they are loved," Corirossi says. "They think that it is very cool having a dad that writes books and plays the drums."

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