I would greatly appreciate some input from teachers out there who record their lessons. Eventually, I would like to be able to record lessons and recitals and put them on to DVDs. I think it would be a fantastic learning tool for both my students and myself and it would be nice to be able to record memorable recitals for families to share. I'm looking for recommendations on video recorders and basic editing programs that aren't ridiculously complicated yet yield decent results.

I use an old Sony Hi8 videocamera and hook it up to my MacBook. I do the editing with iMovie.

I think using a computer is the way to go. Get a video camera with a good microphone (or one that you can plug a good microphone into.) All the digital camcorders I've seen have a Firewire connection. Make sure your computer has a Firewire port (or that the camera can hook up to a USB port or something your computer does support.)

On Windows, I've used Microsoft Movie Maker. Like iMovie, it's also free and can handle all the basic editing you'd need to do.

I use a Sony HD camcorder which is connected directly to Sony's DVD burner. I start the DVD when the student arrives. Actually, I erase last week's lesson while they are warming up on scales and chords (it takes 30 sec or so) and then start the recording. At the end of the lesson, the DVD is ready for the student to take with. I use stand alone mikes in a stereo configuration, located about 5 feet behind the piano bench, at the center point between the two pianos.

No fuss, no muss, very little effort. And I am lazy.

Oh, at the end of the school year, I keep the DVD and file it away in the "I can't believe I actually played like this" file.