All students at St Mark’s, from Preschool to Year 8, receive classroom music lessons which cover a wide range of concepts and practical skills.
In addition to our classroom programme, we offer numerous co-curricular music opportunities including school choirs, bands, orchestra and itinerant music lessons. These extra curricular music activities are designed to meet the needs of those advanced students who need an in-depth extension as well as beginners on their path of discovery of music.
Viva Voce
Viva Voce is an all-comers Years 0-2 choir. Students work on introductory and preparatory choir repertoire, and have the opportunity to perform at school events.
Location: Music Room
Day/Time: Tuesday, 11.20am-12.00pm
Con Brio
Con Brio is an auditioned choir of Years 3 and 4 students, and have in the past enjoyed performing at The Kids Festival choral festival in Wellington. They also perform at school assemblies as well as other traditional school events such as our annual Gift Giving service, and Grandparents’ and Special Friends’ Day.
Location: Music Room
Day/Time: Tuesday, 7.50-8.20am and Thursday, 12.20-12.50pm.
Schola Cantorum
Conducted by our Director of Music, Ms Anya Nazaruk, the award-winning Schola Cantorum is our premier choir. It consists of auditioned students from Years 5 to 8 and performs high calibre sacred and secular music.
Schola Cantorum have many performance opportunities during the year, including the annual Nine Lessons and Carol Service, Palm Sunday and Christmas services held at the Anglican Cathedral of St Paul.
Location:
Jazz Band
Our Jazz Band is an auditioned group and selection is based on the childrens’ skill and ability to perform.
The group rehearses on Monday lunchtimes at school. They perform a lot of music from the swing era, the 1920s through the 1940s, as well as more contemporary arrangements. As well as the opportunity to perform in a musical ensemble, students also have the change of improvisational solos.
In 2016, our Jazz Band presented their first public performance, a 20 minute set of music as part of the Wellington Band and Orchestra Festival. They won the ‘Rising Stars Award’ for Best Junior Band.
Orchestra
The school orchestra focuses on performing classical music and developing a sense of ensemble playing. Students apply their musical skills to a group setting and grow together as musicians.
The orchestra has numerous performance opportunities throughout the year. This includes school assembles, the annual Whole School Prize Giving and Grandparents’ & Special Friends Day.
Rock Band
Led by the very experienced musician Peter Elliot, our school Rock Band practices together every Tuesday lunchtime and plays a variety of rock and pop songs.
In 2020, our band placed third at the Wellington competition ‘Battle of the Bands’, with an additional award for Best Guitarist as well as Honourable Mentions for Drums and Vocals.
Over half of our students are registered in our highly popular Itinerant Music Programme. Lessons take place during school hours by a team of highly professional musicians, many of whom play for the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.
Itinerant music lessons are available in: piano, saxophone, clarinet, trumpet, drums, voice (singing), violin, flute, trombone, guitar, double bass, bass guitar and cello.
Kris Zuelicke grew up in a theatrical and musical family, accompanying shows and choirs from high school onwards. In the USA, she gained degrees in Music (BA Miami University) and Music Theory (MA Indiana University) and taught music along with other subjects at the Bloomington Montessori School.
Kris teaches in five schools around Wellington, maintains a thriving private piano and cello studio and accompanies students at the New Zealand School of Music. Her most recent degree is in harpsichord (DMA NZSM). Kris enjoys performing regularly with other musicians, including piano duets, chamber music and has enjoyed projects with Stroma, the Queen’s Closet and a fun stint as a harpsichordist extra in the recently released Time Bandits.
Peter has a Bachelor of Music degree having studied performance guitar and composition at the New Zealand Conservatorium of Music.
Since graduating Peter has performed and composed for an eclectic mix of rock, jazz, latin, and classical bands and ensembles.
Guitar lessons start with note-reading and pop-song chord strumming. From there students branch out to electric-guitar riffs and solos, writing their own pop-songs or classical guitar performance.
Peter encourages his students to develop their own musical voice, focusing on the individual strengths and interests of each student.Peter's students from St Mark's have earned music scholarships and awards at secondary school, played in rock and jazz bands and gone on to study music at tertiary level.
Abe Baillie completed a BMus in Jazz Performance at New Zealand School of Music in 2022, and as of 2025 is continuing study at NZSM, working towards an Honours Degree. Abe has taught drum lessons across Wellington City, and in Lower Hutt.
Abe enjoys helping students improve their skills, while keeping lessons fun, primarily focusing on learning musical material that students choose.
Aside from teaching, Abe also loves working on performing and recording original creative music projects, and regularly plays as a side musician around Wellington.
Amanda completed her Bachelor of Music with Honours at the New Zealand School
of Music (NZSM) in Performance Piano, studying with Dr Jian Liu, graduating in
2019 after first studying with Gillian Bibby through the Conservatorium of Music,
graduating in 1995. As part of her Honours Degree at NZSM, she not only focussed
on Piano Performance but also Music Embodiment Studies with Dr Hamish Robb.
She has been teaching piano and music theory for over 25 years, from beginners
through to advanced level students. She absolutely loves to teach and develop
learning strategies for each individual child based on what their observed learning
needs and styles are.
Amanda is an Associate of the NZ Institute of Registered Music Teachers and also
has LTCL in Performance Piano. She continues to enjoy performing, especially piano
duets for lunchtime concerts, worship music with her church band, and continues to
enjoy developing her teaching knowledge and performance stills.
Originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico, cellist Margaret Guldborg has been an
active part of the Wellington music scene since she and her family moved to New
Zealand in 2008. She regularly performs with Orchestra Wellington and local
chamber ensembles, and has also shared the stage with non-classical performers
such as Laser Kiwi, Liam Finn, and Eminem. Margaret has a busy cello studio, and is
Programme Director for Arohanui Strings, an organisation she has been with for
more than 10 years.
Before moving to New Zealand, Margaret taught and performed in Malaysia,
Denmark, and the United States. While living in Denmark she held the position of
Assistant Sub-Principal Cello in the Odense Symphony. She holds a Master of Music
Performance from the New England Conservatory in Boston and has played for such
legends as Yo-Yo Ma and Anner Bylsma.
Instrument Hire
There is a limited stock of very high quality instruments which St Mark’s School offers rent-free for beginner students who are signed up for a full year of tuition.
The instruments available to hire are:
Instruments are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. All enquiries should be directed to Ms Anya Nazaruk, Director of Music at anya.nazaruk@st-marks.school.nz
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