INTERVIEWWITHMS.REBECCA WOOLCOCK

By Leela Menon '25 & Alisiya Ermolenko '24

“I want to further discover the diversity of the musical talent here at ISF, '' says Ms. Rebecca Woolcock, when asked about her main goals and incentives for this academic year Ms Woolcock is the latest addition to the ISF community, taking on the role of music teacher for grades 6 to 12. As a talented pianist, Ms Woolcock has experienced the music world in many different countries, travelling to see and perform solo concerts in places such as India and Saudi Arabia. These experiences therefore acquainted her with many different cultures and talented people Ms Woolcock has taught piano for many years, which is what stemmed her interest in becoming a full-time music teacher, starting out at schools in London such as Alleyn’s School, St. Paul's Cathedral School, and Wycombe Abbey School. In 2005, Ms. Woolcock moved from the UK to Italy, and taught at the International School of Siena for 11 years prior to her move to Florence. Regarding her move, she stated “Well, I feel more Fiorentina than Sienese. My husband works in Florence at the Maggio Musicale Opera Theatre and I live kind of in the Provincia of Firenze. I always wanted to be more in Florence”.

Having joined ISF in the middle of the academic year, Ms. Woolcock has some very clear ideas about her intentions for students this year Her main goal is to discover the diversity of the musical talent at ISF, with the establishment of a curriculum that supports not only the understanding of music, but also helps students develop their musical skills on a variety of levels and instruments Additionally, she would like to incorporate digital platforms, and collaborate with the other subject teachers to make relevant links with other classes and also establish an extracurricular activity at some point that will give individual tuition to students.

Concerning her hopes for students in music class, Ms. Woolcock’s primary objective is to help them gain confidence in their music skills, stating “I have heard that many students have stopped playing instruments during the pandemic so I would really like to change that. I think post-Covid it became hard for people to express themselves and I would really like them to help get over that I want everyone to feel like they belong in music.” Lastly, Ms. Woolcock adds that for her, the most important values when teaching music are being open minded, always listening and differentiating people's needs, along with making music all-inclusive.

Please join us in welcoming Ms. Woolcock to the ISF community!