What's the essay title? There are plenty of ways of describing an analysis without it sounding like a shopping list. What analytical technique have you used. What type of piece are you writing. What Features immedaately leap out at you. Where are the real contrasts. No one wants to read an essay where every sentence ends with the word "feminine ending" for example so instead the first time you mention them say something about the feminine endings that are such a feature of the piece and illustrate with quotations. If you know a harmonic device is a particular favourite of the composer find other examples. If the composer has re-used material from else where find the places where that matereal has also been cited. Compare and contrast works by contemporaries.

I hope this you a few ideas.

I've been writing essays like this for over 20 years. At first your fears were my biggest fears, but by varying my analytical styles so I used the correct technique for the essay title, and selecting the right quotations, this soon ceased to be a problem. Good luck.

Jo.

ARRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHH
Children driving me nuts!!! Actually... just one in particular, the youngest. She has been faffing all day... and not doing what I ask her. I am letting her not go to Junior Strings which is at 9am on a Sat as she is at gym now on a fRiday night and gets home at about 9:45pm (she is only 9). She is staying at home with her big sister while I take her brother to training band... then I pick her and big sis up at 9:30am, ready for Intermediate Strings for her and theory for her sister. Well... she wasn't ready when I came back.... then she forgot her violin and we had to go home for it. Then she took money out of my purse after I had given her money for tuck at Music club. She wanted more. (She has paid me back). Then we went to a shop to get a present for a friend (from music club) whose sleep over she is going to after gym tonight and she made a fuss over what we should buy etc. I have asked her several times to do her practice this afternoon... we have managed piano... but she still hasn't done the violin. She is just ignoring me and I am trying not to shout. Think she might be tired... the friday night gym is new. Actually, I think I'm just making excuses for her. She is just ignoring me!!!!! She's quite good at that.
AARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHH

What's up Noodle?

A pupil, or someone different?!

How irritating

######ing life ######ing sucks

Join the club! And sorry to hear that, Treebs

Argh, I'm so disheartened. I'll never be able to sightread, piano or singing, I'll never be able to do theory or be able to remember the complicated aurals. I'll never pass G5 theory or G7 (if I ever get to take it) and I'll never learn to play piano. It's so unfair to love music so much and feel so talentless all the time.

In other news I'll never be able to speak French and I'll never be able to stick to a diet!

Bad day!

Ditto! However hard I try, by the end of the first week, I've slipped back into my old eating habits.



I'm sure you're not talentless! You seem really talented.




I think it just takes practice. I have times when I can speak French really well and other times when I can barely string a sentence together! Do you have a language assistant at your school? If so, maybe see if you could have some extra sessions with him/her.

IM SO ANNOYED HOW I MESSED UP ME AND MY MOTHER RELATIONSHIP! ARGH! WHY COULDN'T I KEEP MY MOUTH SHUT. WHY COULDN'T I JUST NOD AND WALK OFF..

.. if only i can turn back time.

It's easier said than done isn't it? Being a "must have the last word" sort of person, I sympathise

Many times I've wished there was a "Ctrl-Z" function for life

I can't explain how bad things are right now. Words cannot describe it. They want me to go as an inpatient at the looney bin again. I nearly got kicked out of school today because I hurt myself. They won't listen when I try to tell them how suicidal I am. ARGH!!!

Is there somebody who you can talk to who will listen properly?

I'm so very frustrated with someone, it's been happening way too often lately. Why am I the worst person at communicating??!!!

Morgan's Munchkin, can I seriously recommend the Samaritans? I have had contact with them before and they were great - in retrospect, I was in a lot worse state at the time than I realised.
You can rant at them and they won't judge you. You can just say 'I feel rubbish' and not have to tell them anything more than that if you don't want. You can talk to them if it's something really little that seems silly.
They even show understanding towards those of us who sometimes have to hurt ourselves to get through the day, that sometimes there is a minimum hurt needed in order to let yourself survive.

You can do it by email: jo@samaritans.org (this is the route I took - remember you could create an anonymous Hotmail or similar account so nobody knows it's you if you want to)
You can do it on the phone: 08457 90 90 90
You can go and visit them if you're near enough: http://www.samaritans.org/talk_to_someone/...cal_branch.aspx
Heck, if you don't mind a wait, you can even write to them: Chris, POBox 9090, Stirling, FK8 2SA

Thinking of you...

They really are helpful and not judgemental... it's worth giving it a try. Also, the hospital may not be that bad an idea - there might be somebody there who can just listen. They may not understand but they won't be trying to make things worse. Surviving really is important.

Oh to be a mum. They know when you're not there, but you're not alwasy appreaciated when you are.
When you haven't helped elder son complete cub badges, and ferry children to school, cook dinners, make breakfast clean kitchen do laundry, get groceries, do lunchboxes then any member of the family will pipe up "oi mum where's my..." or hubby will say "I needed my... today" However whenever everything goes like a well oiled machine nobody says a thing!

don't think I have posted on this thread before - but it just seems a good day to appear, after lots of hassle just when I need to get on with jobs that need doing, and there is always some new email or PM or phone call or news that I didn't wish to hear - at least no texts so far - inviting phone to buzz!! so that's enough - I shan't respond any more to enquiries begging letters, pestilential nuisances etc for the rest of the day

My neck hurts.
I didn't sleep well last night, and I think my pillow must have got in to the wrong place. And then I woke up this morning very tired with a hurting neck. Have taken some painkillers and it takes a lot for me to do that for a muscle ache.

Try a wheat bag, from one neck pain person to another. alternatively those disposable heat pad thingys you cna get from the chemist are good. They might be pricey, but they do make you feel much better.

Excellent plan - I shall do that when I get home. Thank you!

Thanks for all your comments and support guys. I'm currently out of school until further notice after the incident yesterday, but I have a CPN who is going in to speak to them asap.

Good luck with all this Morgan's Munchkin. I'm sure we'll all be hoping for the best for you.

Crumbs....you must be clever with playing all those instruments!

Thinking of you MM and hoping today is better

Best of luck MM. Please let us know how you are.

MM, at least you've got a CPN. Make the full use of him or her. Given how you are feeling, I'm glad you have a support network.

I'm sad to hear there was an incident at school yesterday. If you feel confortable, you can PM me about it and it will go no further.

Use every last ounce of your support network. The people in it are there for you at this difficult time. We can offer support at a distance, but that's the best we can do.

AAAAARGH!!

*hugs* Hope everyone is better soon... MM talking to people is probably the best thing to do, people who will listen without a word against you.

sometimes you realise that Life gets in the way of enjoying yourself

thought I'd keep it polite, noodle

Aaaargghh! Definitely not my week, but today was dreadful.

Last Wednesday, ordered some equipment (via our Finance Dept) for Sixth Form individual project work for AS. Company, which shall be nameless, usually sends stuff out same day, but nothing had arrived by Friday (assume it's the fault of Royal Mail). Still nothing on Monday, but I'm really busy so do nothing.

Tuesday morning, ring company in a panic (coursework due to start Wednesday) to be told they have no record of order!!! Consult our Finance Dept to discover company has sent them a letter saying our account has lapsed and including details of supposed account - which is NOT ours! Finance Dept persuade company to send order, and I alert our reception.

Wednesday, coursework starts - no package. Today, still no package. I check with reception, then ring Finance, who contact company to be told package was signed for yesterday at reception 10 minutes walk away (we are a split site school).

I dash up to said reception. Receptionist remembers package, but had put it out for site team to transfer to our building - find site team member on duty yesterday, who definitely does not remember it and took nothing to our building. Aargh!

Dash back again (I am incredibly busy with coursework stuff and really can't spare the 30 mins I have now spent in this futile manner - stress levels high). Global e-mail to entire school staff finally locates parcel - hurray! Fetch parcel and open it to discover - it's the wrong thing!!!

More panic as I have to contact company again to get right thing sent. Heaven knows if it will arrive in time for tomorrow's lesson - unlikely as it starts at 11.20. Still have a million things to do. Finally gobble lunch at 2.25 because coursework session starts at 2.30 and students are already gathering. Head of Physics insists I sit quietly for 10 minutes as I seem stressed - I wonder why??!!

Sorry this is so long, but it feels good to get it off my chest! Another stressful day awaits tomorrow!

ARgggghhhhh

I've woken with a horrible cough and I feel lousy and a bit flu-ey and I still have to work today. I just don't feel like I have the energy.

AAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!

Stupid maths stats coursework.
Stupid school musical schedule conflicting with a geography trip.
Stupid busy weekends

Yes, stupid busy weekends. I can't even begin to describe how much I dread them. Because of college, everything I cannot do in the week gets pushed to the weekends.

ARGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

My beloved violin has developed a BUZZ somewhere and I can't find it and I can't stop it and it's driving me BONKERS and I'm not due to see my teacher until tuesday and I nearly threw it against the wall and it sounds metallic and if I can't stop it soon I'm going to SCREEEEEAAAAAMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

me again

I have a house guest (ughh) this weekend which means for FOUR days I don't get to practice or do any work. It drives me INSANE; this guest is an uneducated philistine and I'm really going to struggle to cope.

Last night, we had an appointment for someone to come round at 7pm. They said they'd be there at 7pm and then said 'allowing for traffic, by 7.15pm at the latest'. My husband was up early today so we knew we had to get them out early, like by 8pm. No problem.
It got to 7.45pm and we heard nothing. So, very maturely, we switched off all lights except one really dim one, and sat their in giggling-darkness as if we weren't in
At 8pm the door was knocked and the doorbell rang. We decided to reamin hidden in darkness. They did give up after one knock and two doorbell rings. The phone then went immediately, about five mins later, and about half an hour after that.

Basically, if you're running that far late for an appointment and you don't have the politeness to ring and let us know, then we're not interested in doing business with you.

So now I am sitting here at work expecting them to phone me to demand to know why we weren't there. Well, it was them who weren't there, and it's not our fault if by the time they deigned to turn up, we had, e.g. gone round to my mum's house (me) or to bed (my husband, due to getting up at 4.30am).

But instead I'm sitting here with my phone re-directing to straight to voicemail (anyone legit will leave a message, or send me an instant message through the work system) so I don't have to talk to them; silly really, as they'll just phone me at home tonight. I don't want to be rude, but I also don't want to rearrange an appointment. Thus it's easier if I just don't talk to them ever again...the idea of taking my phone off of voicemail, so I can answer when they call, is just making me panic - though why I care what these people think of me, I don't know...

Good for you! I can't stand that. I'd be livid if someone turned up an hour late

Tonight I'm coming down on a pupil's parent who constantly picks up late. They go off shopping and expect to be back in half an hour?! Well no more...

omg soooooooo much hassle in the last few days it's unbelievable!!
and pressure to oblige and do as someone else wants

being made to feel unwelcome at someone else's 'do' huh

How the heck did it get to be 1st February? Who's nicked January?

I'm just not ready for February. Can't it be postponed a couple of weeks....

find yourself a flight tomorrow morning - or this afternoon even better? - to sunnier climes and ask some to call you on 29th Feb.
then use the flexible Christmas idea we were thinking of and have Christmas at the beginning of March ...
worth a try?

Very tempting, Saxfan. Slight snag that there's a couple of big commitments I need to honour in the next few days....

oh dear... shame don't you think?

AAAAGAGKJHGAKJHGADGHGHHHARRRRGRGGAGRRRAHGRRRAHGRRRARHGRRARARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! ( © George Lucas)

Going out of my mind in this mind-numbing office job, when I should be practising!

As the guy at the other end of the room puts it (he's a piper) "if they're going to make me sit here with nothing to do, and then run round like headless chickens every 3 hours and tell me something's needed "yesterday", why can't I bring in my practice chanter and do something productive?". But of course it doesn't work like that. Heaven forbid anyone should not LOOK as if they're working, even if they're not.

Trouble is, I need the mind-numbing office job to have any chance of raising the £X,000s I need to pay for my course next year. Funding? For music? Postgraduate? As someone on a postgrads' forum put it: "I need a telescope to see it". Or should that be a microscope? Even worse (ranting again), postgrad funding seems to be all or nothing: either you get the full whack, fees and a few thousand towards living, or you don't get it at all. Even £1000, even £500 would make a difference - and lift my spirits!

It's infuriating. If I could just practice properly, it might be worth auditioning for some of these funding bodies (very few, very competitive). But I can't practice properly, because I can't take take a lower-paid, e.g. part-time job, and run the risk of turning up in September with only £3000 to live on for a year.

I should be looking forward to the course, not wondering whether I'm even going to make it to September with my sanity intact. I thought I'd done the hard bit getting on the course at all...

All I can do is apply for other jobs, which at least will give me something useful to do all day, rather than sitting here grinding my teeth in frustration. Easier to practice when you don't leave work every day enraged, too.

[/rant]

I needed that.

My wrist hurts from playing octaves on the piano

Ouch!

I've wimped out of octaves for too long - but since I love Scriabin, I'm going to have to knuckle down and get down to those octave exercises soon...

Don't overdo it! Good luck.

Well, not an arrrrggggh really. Should probably go and hide under 'the stone' with embarrassment.

So, finding-teacher-saga. Found one who teaches locally, who runs a recorder group, so I was going to go there first and meet her there before we went any further. There are two meetings this term, one near-ish but somewhere I don't know, and one far-ish and somewhere I don't know. Both also clash with SRP meetings (actually, they finish at the same time as SRP starts).

So today was the near-ish one, and I thought I'd go there and go on to SRP straight after. Fabulous.

Everything all organised, put the music stand/recorder stand in the car (kept recorders indoors in the warm), went and had some lunch, got myself ready, all ready to depart at 12.45pm in order to be at the near-ish group meeting at 1.30pm.

At which point I remember that actually it starts at 1pm.
So now I am at home for an extra hour before leaving to go to SRP (which starts at 2.30pm)

So now I may have to go to the one that is a bit further away, I will have to look in to the location and so on and see if I can go on 23rd Feb (which starts at 12.30pm!! I won't forget that!) Otherwise it may have to wait until next term

oh no!