Dr. Onsby Rose serves as associate professor of music and director on instrumental activities at Dordt University. He teaches courses such as Basic and Advanced Conducting, Instrumental Music Education Techniques, and Orchestration. Additionally, he conducts the Wind Symphony, Campus Band, Northwest Iowa Symphony Orchestra, and Defender Pep Band.
Rose’s research interests include the music of David Maslanka, music education, and wind band literature.
Deeply shaped by his experience in the United States Marine Corps, Rose served as a trombonist and conductor in Marine Bands in Albany Georgia, New Orleans, Louisiana, as well as a baritone bugler for "The Commandant's Own" US Marine Drum and Bugle Corps. Additionally, he served as a faculty member at the Armed Forces School of Music.
Prior to Dordt, he also taught 6-12 Instrumental Music at Hampton HS and Hampton MS and served as a graduate teaching assistant at Appalachian State University and The Ohio State University.
Rose has found his calling and great joy in making music, both with students on campus and in the broader community. He has worked as a freelance musician playing in jazz ensembles, orchestras and wind bands for more than 30 years.
“My faith informs all that I do both at Dordt and beyond. It is a crucial part of my teaching as well as my career as a composer,” says Rose. “Without it, I could do nothing.”
An active member of the music community, he belongs to Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Kappa Kappa Psi National Band Fraternity, and is an honorary member of Tau Beta Sigma National Band Fraternity. He is also affiliated with the College Band Directors National Association, the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles, the National Association for Music Education, and the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers.
Rose’s music has been commissioned and performed nationwide by military, collegiate, and professional ensembles. His Symphony No. 2, “The Sacred Cloth” was premiered in 2025 by “The President’s Own” U.S. Marine Band. With a growing body of work, Rose continues to contribute to the wind ensemble landscape through compelling commissions and collaborations. Beyond composing, Rose has served as a guest conductor and clinician for numerous honor bands at the high school and college levels, both domestically and internationally. He also regularly contributes to music education through clinics, research, and published articles, including:
- "The Ripple Effect: Remembering David Maslanka," The Instrumentalist, September 2017.
- "Steps to Score Mastery," The Instrumentalist, August 2017.
- "Old, New, Borrowed, Blue and a March!," The Instrumentalist, March 2017.
- College Band Directors National Association National Conference, Small Band Program Showcase (Dordt University Wind Symphony, one of seven small university band programs featured nationwide), March 29, 2025, Fort Worth, Texas.
- Iowa Bandmasters Association Conference, Dordt University Wind Symphony (featured university band), May 11, 2023.
- Iowa Musicological Society, "David Maslanka’s Symphony No. 10," May 22, 2021.
Education:
- Bachelor of Music Education, East Tennessee State University, 2005
- Master of Music in conducting, Appalachian State University, 2016
- DMA in conducting, The Ohio State University, 2019