So, DD8 decided she'd like to tackle composing an original song for a school project (she could choose any media, so naturally she chooses the most difficult), which put me in the market for some software. I see Garageband mentioned frequently here, but it's only for iOS and Mac, and since we're not an Apple family, that wasn't an option.

Aquinas recommended Reason software. It's $450 after the trial period. No thanks.

I found something called Mixcraft, and downloaded it for trial. The license is only $80. So far, I can already see ways it could have been better, but it gets the job done. I crafted 8 measures of music with two tracks (a melody and a chord progression), set it on loop, and DD was pretty excited by the result.