By MIRIAM MEISTER

The students at Tawa College will be singing to a different tune as Head of Music, Shona Murray, passes on the baton to her successor, Murray Cameron. The energetic music lover, who started working at Tawa College in 1977, has been HOD for more than two decades and although she has "absolutely loved" her job, she is ready to move on.

Although Mrs Murray is bowing out of the top music job, she won't completely sever her ties with the school, as she will continue to do some choral work and help out with one of the option classes. "I'm still going to be a part of the community," she says.

Mrs Murray taught her successor, a former Tawa College head boy, while he was a student at the school, so seeing him take over the job is a bit like keeping it in the family. "It's like seeing it being passed on to the next generation."

She says relinquishing her work responsibilities will leave time to do some travelling. Her itinerary for next year includes escorting the school's Twilight Tones chorus to Hawaii for the Pacific Basin Festival in March and accompanying the barbershop quartet Musical Island Boys, when they head off to Indiana to compete in June. She is also keen to take a trip to Scotland with her husband, former Tawa College principal Bruce Murray, to see the land of their ancestors, as well as visit China, where she was born and spent part of her childhood.

Principal Murray Lucas says Mrs Murray has been a tremendously valuable member of the staff. "I think she's made an absolutely outstanding contribution to the music department at Tawa College." He emphasises that the wider community has also benefited from her love of music through her setting up of the biennial Tawa Schools and Community Festival, which has become an institution in the suburb.

Mr Lucas describes his colleague as an "infectiously positive" person who always looks at the positive in a student, and he admires her inclusive attitude, which has allowed students that might not have perfect pitch to join the school's choir. However he credits her demand for "excellence" from her students as the reason that many of the school's music groups have gone on to reap accolades for their performances both domestically and internationally.

Mrs Murray's successor, Murray Cameron, has been a full-time employee at Tawa College since 1999. Before becoming a teacher, the proficient saxophone and clarinet player, who has a university degree in music, directed a range of musical productions, giving him valuable experience directing both instruments and vocalists. "I was really dabbling with both ends of the spectre." He has also been heavily involved with organising Tawa Schools and Community Festival for years. Mr Cameron takes over the role of HOD at the beginning of next year.