Culural Activities

St Andrew’s College boys can hardly fail to be stimulated by the exciting cultural environment of Grahamstown. The School encourages an appreciation of the arts and music, and pupils are expected to engage in cultural activities each week.

Drama plays an important role, with at least one major annual theatrical production which is undertaken in collaboration with the DSG girls. Productions range from ambitious musicals to classical period productions and Shakespearean plays.

Regular House plays at the Senior and Junior level are produced and often devised and scripted by the boys. The extent of the imagination and creativity exercised by pupils in these productions is exciting and entertaining. Of course, there are those who will never make Broadway, but it is the enjoyment and the teamwork which is important! The School has facilitated the development of some well-known actors, scriptwriters and musicians.

Music is a strong tradition at St Andrew’s and the well-equipped David Wynne Music School, shared by St Andrew’s and DSG, provides the venue where pupils receive top-class music tuition. Indeed the combined College-DSG Orchestra is nationally renowned. Called on to perform for sundowner concerts during the National Arts Festival, The Rhodes University Graduation Garden Party, national conferences and other special occassions, the Orchestra showcasess the talents of the pupils, and the outstanding dedication of the professional music teachers. The Music School boasts brass, woodwind and string ensembles, and an excellent jazz band. We are the hosts to the National Youth Jazz Festival which draws talented jazz musicians annually from as far afield as Central Africa.

The St Andrew’s Pipe Band is also a well-known feature of the School. Many school fucntions begin with the hauting melodies of the bagpipes and the Pipe Band, resplendent with its Graham of Montrose tartan, marches past. The Pipe Band adds a special dimension to the musical repertoire of the School, and local residents have grown to love the sound of the pipers as they practice on the school fields. A CD has recently been produced by the Pipe Band.

In addition to music and drama, St Andrew’s pupils have access to a wide variety of other cultural and artisitic opportunities through an array of school clubs and societies. In the artistic field, creative work in leather, copper, stained glass and batik is offered alondside formal art training. Inter-House Art and Photographic exhibitions encourage the artists and the photographers amongst the pupils to experiment and be creative in their field of interest.

Many school publications provide for those with a journalistic interest. Debating, Public Speaking and Current Affairs societies allow for discussion and the airing of opinions on the world around us. Other Clubs include:

Agriculture, Chess, Computer, Environment, Film, First Aid, Ibhonga (African Culture), Pottery, SCA, and Wildlife