REMOVING ICONS FROM THE DOCK:
Note: Most people will never use the, for example, Garage Band program that comes with OS X Leopard, Snow Leopard or Lion. The Garage Band program allows you to write songs on the computer and play in a virtual band.
1) Click & drag the, e.g., Garage Band icon up and off the Dock. You should see the icon disappear in a puff of “smoke.”
2) To restore the Garage Band icon to the Dock:
1) Double-click on the Macintosh HD icon at the upper right-hand corner of the screen.
2) Double-click on the Applications icon.
3) Scroll down and find the program icon you want (e.g., the Garage Band icon).
4) Click & drag the icon down to the Dock.
5) You can then click & drag the icon to the left or right to re-position it on the Dock, if necessary.