In any case, 20 years ago when I was in college after taking piano lessons for six years, the best I had was a Mac SE. It was useful for writing decent looking music but with what I had available it could not make great sounds.

These days, my sons and I have an iMac, a midi-compatible keyboard, a PS-04 to help get signals between our instruments and the computer, a couple mics, and Logic Pro. (We also occasionally use Allegro for composing.) With that set of tools available (probably less than $1000 aside form the computer and actual musical instruments that we’d have anyway) we have done some amazing things.

For two years running, we have written Christmas plays with music for our Sunday school program. First year was about a shepherd who was too busy to listen to the angels’ call to visit the newborn King. The second was about trying to decide what to sing to the shepherds using the four names mentioned in Isaiah. For each of these we produced CD’s with prerecorded reading of the plays to given away for free will offerings that benefited causes our church supported. The first year was a very basic production. The second year was a more sophisticated production (thanks to my oldest son) with five different people reading parts. The first year we even made a video with a series of stills to go along with the reading.

In addition, we recorded on song for a couple from the worship band with which we play when they got married last year. I wrote it, sand lyrics, and played bass. Every other instrument was either played or programmed by my oldest. And, he mixed and produced.

We also prepared a song for my middle son’s first Eucharist.

All of this has not only let us interact with our fellow musicians and parishoners locally in different ways than I ever might have imagined with older technologies, but has also let my sons and I stay very close at their very precarious ages. We have also been able to share some of our music and hope to continue writing and recording when we are not in school (for my kids), playing in a worship band, singing in a boychoir (my 9 year old), teaching Sunday School (me), or working the day job to pay for all this.

Blessings to all.

In any case, 20 years ago when I was in college after taking piano lessons for six years, the best I had was a Mac SE. It was useful for writing decent looking music but with what I had available it could not make great sounds.

These days, my sons and I have an iMac, a midi-compatible keyboard, a PS-04 to help get signals between our instruments and the computer, a couple mics, and Logic Pro. (We also occasionally use Allegro for composing.) With that set of tools available (probably less than $1000 aside form the computer and actual musical instruments that we’d have anyway) we have done some amazing things.

For two years running, we have written Christmas plays with music for our Sunday school program. First year was about a shepherd who was too busy to listen to the angels’ call to visit the newborn King. The second was about trying to decide what to sing to the shepherds using the four names mentioned in Isaiah. For each of these we produced CD’s with prerecorded reading of the plays to given away for free will offerings that benefited causes our church supported. The first year was a very basic production. The second year was a more sophisticated production (thanks to my oldest son) with five different people reading parts. The first year we even made a video with a series of stills to go along with the reading.

In addition, we recorded on song for a couple from the worship band with which we play when they got married last year. I wrote it, sand lyrics, and played bass. Every other instrument was either played or programmed by my oldest. And, he mixed and produced.

We also prepared a song for my middle son’s first Eucharist.

All of this has not only let us interact with our fellow musicians and parishoners locally in different ways than I ever might have imagined with older technologies, but has also let my sons and I stay very close at their very precarious ages. We have also been able to share some of our music and hope to continue writing and recording when we are not in school (for my kids), playing in a worship band, singing in a boychoir (my 9 year old), teaching Sunday School (me), or working the day job to pay for all this.

Blessings to all.