Chick Rose has been a popular college instructor and career counselor, as well as, a music education and folklore writer since moving to Northwest in 1972. His columns in the BLUEGRASS EXPRESS, an Oregon Bluegrass Association publication, have been informing and entertaining Bluegrass fans since 1996. His longest running column, Study Hall, has attracted regional and national attention, as exemplified in 1998, when Chick was invited to be a panelist at the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Trade Show and Fanfair. The panel discussed various approaches to teaching Bluegrass and was moderated by then IBMA President, Pete Wernick. Other featured panelists included Jack Tottle, from the East Tennessee State University Bluegrass program, and a small group of music instructors from other successful programs.
Chick held his popular Steeplegrass Jam Lab Classes, every Fall, Winter and Spring from 1992 to 2001. It finally came to an end when the owners sold the old Steeple Center Church building, which housed the class. The popularity of his classes resulted in more than fifty registered students during the fall term of each of the final three years. In addition, Chick has coordinated the youth musical activities for many Bluegrass festivals in the Northwest, including Mt. St. Helen’s, Columbia Gorge, Oregon State, Wheeler County, Hood River, Wintergrass and River City. He organized and headed up the first Wintergrass Kid’s Academy in 2004 and the first River City Youth Bluegrass Academy in 2008. His Youth and Family Spotlight shows have featured some of the best young talent around the Pacific Northwest. He continues to work with young musicians and beginning students of all ages with private lessons, festival workshops and as one of the instructors at the Old Liberty Theater Bluegrass classes in Ridgefield, Washington. In December 2007, he was featured on the OPB Oregon Art Beat series for his work with young musicians at the Wheeler County Bluegrass Festival.
Chick is also a published poet and songwriter, has also written college instructional materials and staff development curriculum. He is a popular public speaker, as his motivational style seems to be appropriate for most groups. In his Bluegrass Trailguide series, he relies upon his usual down-home, folksy style to pass on a lifetime of information about understanding, appreciating and playing Bluegrass music. Those who are not familiar with his work will discover what Doug Dick, popular Bluegrass MC and banjo man, describes as “writing with a down-home southern accent .”