Harmonizing Generations: Faculty in Focus - Special Edition: Farewell, Olga Molina

A group of lower school students walked onto the stage at the Haddad Center for the Performing Arts, dressed in their holiday best. For many, this was their very first performance in front of a large audience. When the music started, they began singing the song they had practiced for months. As the final note echoed throughout the theater, the students took their seats on the stage. The curtains rose behind them to reveal their younger peers joining them for a grand finale—a familiar, heartwarming routine of the Holiday Concerts. With a glittery explosion of party poppers, the students bowed alongside the hero behind this beloved tradition, Lower School Music Teacher Olga Molina.

PRELUDE

Olga fell in love with music when she was just as young as the students she teaches today. After watching a pianist on TV, she felt an immediate calling. As the first in her family to pursue music, she enrolled in piano lessons—and, not satisfied with simply learning, immediately began teaching her siblings. By the time she was a teenager, she had already discovered her mission in life: teaching music to children through creativity, movement, and play.

Olga arrived at Graded 32 years ago, invited by then-Pre-primary Principal Vera Giusti to build a music program for young children. At first, she planned to decline the offer. She had recently become a mother and was already running her own music school in Interlagos. But as conversations continued, Olga was drawn to the unique challenge of developing a progressive, continuous, and flexible music program across the entire lower school. 

“In the beginning, there was no music room at the school. I had to push a cart with all my materials from classroom to classroom,” she said. 

Shortly after accepting the position, she enrolled her son, David ’11, at the school as a toddler. Over the years, while Olga built the lower school music program, David grew up alongside it—eventually graduating as valedictorian before continuing his studies at Yale University.
 

CRESCENDO

Despite its modest beginnings, the school remained committed to music education, and Olga soon took on additional responsibilities, including organizing the annual Holiday Concerts.

“When we began holding the Holiday Concerts, they were very simple, as many people did not believe it would be possible to do excellent performance work with young children,” Olga said. 

She proved them wrong.

 

 

Over the decades, the Holiday Concerts evolved from small classroom presentations into one of the lower school’s most beloved traditions, performed before packed audiences in Graded’s auditorium. The events became known not only for the music they showcased, but also for the confidence they nurtured in students and the sense of community connection they created.

“There are many memorable moments in the shows, some not always obvious to those watching, such as seeing a child who, just a few months earlier, was very shy and withdrawn, take the stage with self-confidence, singing in tune and fully in sync with their classmates,” she said.
 

ALLEGRO

Olga’s classroom also became a place where culture, language, and stories came together. The Holiday Concerts regularly featured songs from around the world. One performance remains especially meaningful to her.

“A particularly special moment in our performances was the reaction of parents and grandparents—many of whom wrote to me after the show—who were deeply moved to see an entire class singing the traditional Korean song Arirang,” she said. “The sound of their mother tongue brought back beautiful memories, affirming the universal power of music.”

Her impact has extended far beyond the stage. For generations of students, Olga helped make music class one of the defining experiences of lower school at Graded.

“I believe that our students—having experienced a deep musical journey from an early age—will know how to appreciate, support, and participate in music as adults,” Olga said.

She recalls one student who, after learning about Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute in her class, insisted that his family visit Mozart’s birthplace while traveling abroad. When she received photos from the trip, it was a moment that, for Olga, represented music education “going far beyond the classroom, crossing oceans and continents.”
 

Messages from the Community Tarik Hababi ’21, Graded Alum “I loved the Frosty the Snowman watch sessions during the holidays!” Laura W. ’29, Grade 9 Student “She taught me how to play the flute. Love her!” Gabi Wroblewski ’17, Graded Alum “Ms. Olga used to be my music teacher in primary school about 20 years ago, and I still remember her.” Christine Bilton, Graded Parent “My children, Ricardo ’17 and Gabriela ’28, were Ms. Olga’s students! Unforgettable music shows. Thank you!”  Guilherme Tobinaga ’19, Graded Alum “I remember that her class felt like a secret hideaway.” André M., Grade 8 Student “She supported me for many years in all things music. She was the person who made me love the performing arts.”

 

ANDANTE

For many colleagues, Olga’s ability to combine technical musical instruction with warmth and creativity became her legacy.

“Olga brought a new level of music education to Graded students when she joined the Graded faculty,” said former Lower School Principal Paige Geiger. “Her depth of knowledge in musical development, early childhood learning, and strategies to bring quality musical understanding to children in entertaining, memorable ways is a legacy that she leaves to her students.”

 

 

“With a warmth that puts every student at ease and a gentle nature that nurtures learners of all ages, Olga is a teacher in the truest sense—talented, tireless, and remarkable,” said former Lower School Principal Vance Boisjoli. “Her concerts alone are a testament to a gift that goes far beyond the classroom. To the Graded community, she has been not just a music teacher, but a treasure. As she steps into a well-deserved retirement, she leaves behind a legacy as lasting as the music she so lovingly taught.”

While thousands of students have passed through her classroom over the last 32 years, the connection remains.

“In recent years, one of my greatest joys has been welcoming young parents of current students who, in the past, were also my students,” Olga said. “One of those young mothers said something I will never forget: ‘Teach my daughter exactly how you taught me.’”
 

FINALE

As Olga prepares to retire from Graded, she is not stepping away from music. She plans to return to Conservatório Mozart, the music school she founded in Interlagos as a young teacher, while consulting for schools and helping train future music educators.

When asked to summarize her career in one sentence, Olga described herself as “a teacher who uses music to connect cultures and help students of all ages discover what they are truly capable of.” It’s safe to say she’s done exactly that.

 

 

“For 32 years, Olga has filled our classrooms with music, joy, and a sense of wonder. Her beloved Holiday Concerts will be fondly remembered for years to come, creating memories that students and families will carry for a lifetime," said Superintendent Jane McGee. "Her gift was never simply teaching musical skills; it was helping children find confidence, community, and delight through music. Her legacy will continue to echo throughout our school for generations to come.”