Music plays an important part of the Arts and Culture programme at St Paul’s Collegiate School. Many of our students represent New Zealand in groups such as the New Zealand Secondary Students’ Choir and New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Symphony Orchestra. Our own St Paul’s ensembles are successful in regional festivals.
Music is a subject available to all students from Years 9-13. Students in Years 10-13 are given the option to choose music as an elective. Through St Paul’s itinerant music scheme, students can choose to learn one of the following musical instruments (in addition to the academic curriculum): piano, organ, singing, violin, cello, drums, guitar, clarinet, saxophone, flute, bassoon, trumpet, trombone, tuba, horn, ukulele, euphonium and banjo.
Itinerant Programme
Instrument lessons take place for half an hour during class or lunchtime. All music lessons and teachings are held in the purpose-built Mary Hornsby Music Centre, opposite the Chapel.
In Year 9, students take part in a compulsory itinerant programme, giving them an opportunity to expand their musical horizons. The school has in-house itinerant teachers who provide a 30-minute lesson once a week (charged to the school account). Many students choose to continue on with an existing instrument. To read about our passionate music teachers, click here.
Music groups
St Paul’s Collegiate School has a number of music groups that cater for a range of musical abilities and interests
- Choirs (St Paul’s Choir, no audition and The Chamber Choir, audition)
- Big Band (students interested in jazz, grade three or above. Instruments include trumpet, trombone, clarinet, alto and baritone saxophone, piano, guitar and bass. The Big Band regularly performs at the Tauranga Jazz Festival, Hawke’s Bay Festival, ITM Music Festival and the annual St Paul’s Good Vibrations concert)
- Concert Band (Open to all brass, woodwind and percussion students.)
- Student-led rock bands
- String ensemble
- Chamber ensembles
