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Although this is IMHO a slightly harsh post, its points apply here. The piece itself was actually fairly decent - it was harmonically correct. However, as you said, it's fairly safely done. Remember, at your (and my) stage, don't worry about turning out a good product. Focus on LEARNING how to make better ones. Soaring strings will sound lame in Finale - only a DAW with good samples/real orchestra can emulate that effect well, so the chances are that it's not your compositional skills. Trial and error will bring you surprisingly far, and the more you compose, the better you get.