I am a Mac Geek. I even have a t-shirt to prove it. And, naturally, along with that territory goes my disdain for PCs.

Yesterday at a workshop presented by Chamber Music America, I heard from a woman at Wellesley College about a group of female students who compose music, either using Apple’s Garage Band, or having learned to compose using Apple’s Garage Band.

I know, many will say that Garage Band can’t teach you to compose. Depends on your definition of music composition.

At any rate, a group of 15 woman composers is is something to take note of, in a field dominated by males, particularly in classical and jazz. Year after year, the BMI Young Composer competition somehow struggles to find young woman composers worthy of receiving their one of their awards. They can go for years without giving a single award to a woman composer.

So, when you hear about how this piece of technology has opened up a corridor for these 15 young woman to practice composition, on their own terms, well, it got me thinking a bit more about Steve Jobs, who is taking a leave from Apple, presumably until June.

It’s difficult to look at his recent pictures and not worry. Moreover, looking at recent photos of Steve (geeks call refer to him by his first name), well, I felt a great sense of pain. As a certified and nearly certifiable Mac Geek, I have developed a fondness and admiration for someone whom I have never met. But, somehow, when I listen to music on my iPod, make a movie on iMovie, think of how iTunes has opened up a world of music to more people than we could have ever imagined, or ponder the beauty of people making music whether or not they have access to it through a traditional school music program, or any of the other previous prerequisites to access, well, it makes me grateful for Steve Jobs and hopeful that he will recover from what is ailing him.