A computer can help your child's musical development. There are some useful pieces of kit and software packages available. But be warned: although some are free, some of the best can be very expensive.

Already lots of young people have all they need to make professional quality CDs in their bedroom and some are making hit records. Home computers today tend to come bundled with a sound card, speakers and software that can burn CDs, play streamed audio (and video) and turn the Mac or PC into a limited MIDI electronic musical synthesiser.

The rise of peer-to-peer web sites like Napster, Audio Galaxy and KaZaa has created a free market in CD-quality music in popular formats like MP3 on the internet. MP3 makes it possible to download music free onto the computer's hard drive, a portable MP3 player, or a normal audio CD. The latest music is often available free online, sometimes before a record has appeared in the shops. These music 'sharing' sites, as they are known, are controversial because they can be in breach of copyright. Napster and Audio Galaxy have now retreated in the face of a sustained court battle fought by the major record companies, some of whom have created their own sites charging for a similar service. Nonetheless new sites keep springing up, flying the flag of audio piracy.

But if your child is keen on making music they may want to use their computer to compose and arrange music. They are likely to encounter software and devices to help them in secondary school. (This is covered in the companion feature Computers & Music in School.) You can provide them with similar tools at home. But be careful: although some software is available free, some packages can cost hundreds of pounds.

Steve Levine, a top UK record producer, and a parent himself, says: "Software packages at the high end are many thousands of pounds but software packages on the low end are a few hundred pounds and in some cases actually free."

Cubase, music composition software widely used in schools, has the capacity to emulate the sound of a variety of instruments. Your child can compose a melody on a synthesised 'violin', record it in Cubase and then add instruments in layers to create an arrangement. Cubase allows the user to adjust the individual parts until they are happy with the overall sound.

Rob Jones, a music teacher at St Mary's College in Hull, says: "I usually recommend our parents to get a low cost sequencer for home use and to also get a simple score editor, like Finale Notepad (free from Coda's website)."

At the opposite end of the scale a widely-admired composition programme like Sibelius, also common in schools, costs around £600; although there may be a discount for educational use.