Looking at photo's from a party I went to on Friday
Also, getting back in contact with people I haven't seen since I was 8

I did 7.5 hours of piano practice - and made a breakthrough with a piece I've been stuck on for a couple of months.

Tom, you are addicted! I'm surprised you don't strain something playing for such a long time. Is your right hand completely better now then?

Well done with the breakthrough.

Finding out that i have no school tomorrow!

And musical rehearsals on wednesday

and an actual musical on thursday. :-)

Today keeps on getting better and better!!

I have an offer from Warwick! I don't particularly want to go there, but it's nice to know I'm wanted I'm slightly confused by the offer though. It says the offer is restricted to exams taken in 2008 and 2009, which is fair enough, only I took my maths A level exams in 2006 and 2007 , so I'm not quite sure how that's going to work.

Being told my clarinet playing has moved up a level.
And really discovering for the first time what It's like to REALLY take the lead when playing with an accompaniment.

What is the offer, Sarah? It sounds very strange!

It says:

Obtain grade AA at A-Level in Mathematics and Further Mathematics, obtain grade B in one additional A-Level subject and obtain grade B in one further subject EITHER at AS-Level OR A-Level. Also obtain 2/Merit in a Maths STEP/AEA paper. This offer is restricted to examinations taken in 2008 and 2009 and excludes General Studies and Critical Thinking.

The roman soldiers in our forthcoming nativity play have finally learnt to march. After drilling them for nearly an hour up and down the school corridor they actually look like a military unit. I had begun to despair

Getting both Christmas day and New Years day off work for the first time in 3 years!

That's odd, as presumably you told them you'd already done Maths A-level? It's probably just a standard offer that goes on all letters, but if you think you might want to use them as first or insurance choice it might be best to e-mail or ring them and check.

It strikes me that it's easier to get a merit in AEA than a 2 in STEP, but these offers are always a bit random. When we went to their offerholders open day in February Warwick made it clear that they aim to be the obvious second choice for everyone trying for Cambridge, so their course should be challenging. On the other hand, you'd have to be very sure you'd get a grade 2 to make them insurance choice!

I think anyone who puts Warwick as their insurance choice is slightly mad! I had a quick look at their website for a suitable email address, but couldn't find one. I'll have a better look if it starts to look like I'm going to choose them.

Yes, I think they've shot themselves in the foot this year if that's what they want. Last year their alternative offer was four A grades at A-level, which for many people is much easier to get than a level 2 in STEP. I expect they might get put first by people who've missed out on an Oxbridge offer though.

A new shop in York!

That's really good to hear sbhoa!

I've discovered the transposition keys on my portable digital piano!




Care homes here we come!

*Hastily issues earmuffs to all old people anywhere near skylark*

Oh, is she going there to play ?...

MrC, are you *sure* you're not related to MrB - you sound so much like him

Brilliant choice of smilies, skylark!

Successfully passing my CTSB accreditation course

Excellent. Well done you!

What is it?

Mel (impressed by any letters)

Hahaha!

It's not nearly as impressive as it may sound...CTSB are the Cycle Training Standards Board, and I took their course to become a cycling instructor instructor (training the future trainers). It's part of my job *sigh*.

Aah! I was struggling.. thought it was some offshoot of the CTABRSM but got stuck on the SB bit.

Well done anyway - I never even took the cycling proficiency.

Good! It's horribly outdated and irrelevant and we now spend our days desperately trying to unteach it to previous "victims"

I'm head girl
total shock, did not expect it at all so that was rather nice surprise!

Well done, maddielou!

Congratulations, maddielou! I expect that means more work for you, but it's all good experience.

Thank you both
Im so excited, it will mean more work but it will be worth it!
x

Well done, Maddie!

Congratulations and well done maddielou!

Congratulations maddielou!

Being able to submit this post

Congratulations!

I'm happy because it's sunny

Yes, congrats from me too. Well done.

I am happy because I was given a large pile of piano music this morning in choir, and was asked if i could use a collection of fiddle music. I told the choir member that I could always find good homes for fiddle music. Some of it might be useful for recorder and the rest will be offered to good homes at the next forum event in Anglesey.

Well done Maddielou and Deborah!

I'm happy because I've found two good places for sonny Jim to go to for his work experience next May.

Getting to the point at work with the project I'm working on only having the really tricky things left to do...so I made a list of them yesterday, decided which to do first, etc, and today I got loads of them done as it turned out they weren't that tricky after all.

But don't tell anyone that, because it all looks very complicated and I'll have impressed people like anything because in two days there's every chance I'm going to go from 'I'll need a time machine to get this done by Dec 19th' to 'right, I'm ready, come along you slow coaches'!!

Followed by a nice cycle ride home, during which my husband overtook me in his car. Shortly before where there is usually a big queue of traffic, so I put a spurt on in the hopes of being able to overtake him. Alas, there was no queue today, but it was still very amusing and made me smile a lot


Tomorrow I have one Big Thing to do. It's either going to turn out to be very simple and a five minute job (literally, putting an If...Then...Else clause around some stuff), or it's going to be an utter pig that nobody in my department can help with...I'm hoping - and suspecting - the former, which will make me even happier...

Getting offered a nice lump sum by my bank in compensation for one of their staff selling me a product I never needed/wanted/etc. It was a nice suprise seeing as I'm bottoming out of my overdraft at the moment! Just goes to show that sometimes its worth taking the time to complain.

One of my pupil's came out of her first exam (Gr 1) with a huge smile on her face and said 'That was great'.

My housemate gave me a chocolate pudding thingy he'd just bought. That has literally been the high point of my day. Not fun being stuck in bed on antibiotics...

Hope you feel better soon.....

About half an hour of feeling appreciated.

I appreciate you all the time.

Ahhhhhhhhhhh

Thank you! Actually what has made me happy today is that my parents sent me the most amazing parcel - with an advent calendar and gingerbread and a CD of all Dvorak's symphonies etc. Soo sweet of them!

It was really simple!! As were THREE other things from my Big List of Complicated Stuff To Do.

I'm so HAPPY

Sounds like it's been a brilliant week for you, Maizie! Hope the weekend's even better.

Something made me happy today, but I can't remember what

Yesterday, my pupils' accompanist and I staged our first ever 'performance opportunity' for our pupils. Parents and pupils all gathered in a lounge (very big one) and played 2 pieces to each other- The pupils ranged from those who have had only a few weeks lessons to those who have been learning 3 years (we are both newish teachers). It was lovely. The audience were very appreciative. The pupils were great.... from the beginner pianists and my tiny Eb clarinet players (aged 6 and 7) to my Gr 5 candidate. The children were lovely to each other- telling younger ones how well they were doing. We really enjoyed it. It was ever so relaxed an informal and I hope it'll encourage them to be more confident when playing to audiences.

We'll do it again.......I was so excited after that I couldn't sleep.......

That's great, Nicki

I got up at 1130 this morning!