Olivia de Geofroy is the newest addition to North’s fine and performing arts staff. She teaches and directs Tiger Bebop, both choral groups, orchestra, and Music Theory. After Adam Grossman’s retirement at the end of the 2024-25 school year, North needed a new music teacher, and de Geofroy was the perfect candidate.
Not just any music teacher could fill this role, though. They had to be able to fill what fine and performing arts department head Todd Young described as “three buckets.” “It is a complex music position in that it’s kind of in thirds—there’s a third that is choral music, a third that is orchestra and strings and all that related. And then a third of it is the theory, which includes AP music theory,” said Young. “Not every candidate is up to doing that.” But de Geofroy was. She teaches or directs both choral groups, Tiger Bebop, the orchestra, and music theory classes.
De Geofroy added that she’s always wanted to teach, but she did not know she wanted to teach music until high school. “I always did music, but the musical community that was happening at my high school guided me into realizing that music was really my thing and my passion and that I could do music professionally,” she said. From there, she went on to pursue a Bachelor’s in Music Education at Westminster Choir College in New Jersey, and has been teaching music ever since.
Switching to North was a jump for de Geofroy, who’d been an elementary school music teacher at Pierce for the last seven years (and as a string director throughout NPS). But she welcomes the challenge and the chance to work with high schoolers.
According to de Geofroy, high school students can be more reserved to work with, but she is confident she will be able to bring out their full potential as she gets to know them. “All of the ensembles here have been so impressive, they all really want to be there, they have such good musical skills,” she said.
According to senior Kristin Kim, an orchestra president, one thing that’s made de Geofroy a good teacher is her thoughtful and cooperative mindset, frequently asking for feedback. “She is helping the orchestra really come together,” added Kim.
“If I have questions about, how was orchestra? Did you like that? Do you want it to be different? They’re able to speak to all of that,” said de Geofroy.
This has led to what has been, by all accounts, a smooth transition despite the shift from elementary school to high school. “The first week was a strange transition, but I’m already adjusting to the new job and NNHS,” said de Geofroy. Young said he was “super happy” with her integration.
Kim added that “it hasn’t been hard to adjust necessarily, but I think orchestra members who were in our school orchestra in past years needed to have an open mind.” According to Kim, De Geofroy is still familiarizing herself with the students and has a slightly different teaching style to Grossman. “She has more of a structured plan for rehearsals,” Kim said, but like Grossman, “has also been emphasizing the importance of ensemble building.”
Outside of the classroom, de Geofroy still loves to engage with music. She does gig work, some paid and some for fun, and is a member of the Brookline Symphony Orchestra. She is also a member of Voices 21C, a choir focused on social justice out of Boston University. “We create programs that are designed to make you think,” said de Geofroy. “It’s not just your average choral ensemble. It’s a little bit more intellectual and a little bit like performance art.”
Additionally, de Geofroy’s interests extend beyond music. “My fiancé and I are both really into cooking,” she said. “We like going to restaurants and we also like trying recipes together or cooking for each other.”
According to de Geofroy, her favorite part of the job is seeing students improve. “I spent a lot of years teaching Hot Cross Buns, which is not in and of itself musically rewarding, but you get so proud of what the students accomplish,” she said. “You get proud of the individual students and how far they’ve come. I’m already sensing at the high school it’s that, but it’s like you’re eight steps farther along.”
