What Piano Teachers Ask Parents to Have at Home
By Shahadat Shahi Published
THE SHORT ANSWER
Weighted keys, all 88 of them, and a pedal.
That's what most of the 53 studios that accept a digital piano ask for. Ten of 57 require an acoustic.
The parents' checklist
US Letter PDF (147 KB) A4 PDF (147 KB)One page, drawn only from what these teachers say. No email, no account.
What the policies ask for
Most studios accept a digital piano or keyboard, as long as it behaves enough like a piano. Of the 57 studios, 53 accept one: 46 of the 47 that don't require an acoustic piano (the other asks only for “an instrument”), and 7 of the 10 that do, for a first stage. These are the things they ask it to have. A thing counts only where the policy says it's needed (must, should, need, required), not where it's recommended or preferred.
Read with care
These are the studios that publish a policy online, mostly independent teachers. That's not every teacher, so the counts show what's common, not a rule. Your child's teacher has the final word.
Acoustic or digital?
Ten of the 57 studios require an acoustic piano. Of those, 2 don't accept a digital piano or keyboard at all, 7 accept one only for a first stage, such as the first year of lessons, and 1 doesn't mention digital pianos. Their own words are first in the list below.
Families who already have an acoustic piano are asked to keep it in tune: 25 of the 57 policies say so, most often once or twice a year.
- 10 of 57require an acoustic piano
- 2 of 57don't accept a digital piano or keyboard
- 25 of 57ask for an acoustic to be kept in tune
Every policy we read
Each studio's name opens its own policy page. The tags show what the page requires.
The 10 studios that require an acoustic piano
Ana Yoder Coulter Piano Studio
Goshen, IN
“Students must have an acoustic piano to practice on at home, and all keys and pedals should be in good working order.”
Hayward, CA
“Those with electronic keyboard/digital piano are expected to upgrade to an acoustic (either buy or rent) at a later time.”
North Salt Lake, UT
“Students should have an acoustic piano that is well-maintained and tuned at least once a year.”
South Bend, IN
“Students may temporarily practice on a digital piano, for no longer than one year of piano study.”
Cary, NC
“Students must have an acoustic (non-electric) piano at home.”
Corte Madera, CA
“At the very beginning levels, a keyboard is somewhat acceptable, if it has weighted keys that are touch-sensitive”
Austin, TX
“Each student is required to have an acoustic piano (not a digital piano, and not an electronic keyboard either) to practice at home.”
pianolessonswitholga (Olga Sklyanskaya)
Evanston, IL
“An acoustic piano is required for taking piano lessons.”
Wake Forest, NC
“Full-sized digital pianos (with 88 weighted keys, full-sized pedals, a music stand and bench) are acceptable for the earliest stages only of piano study”
North Wales, PA
“All students must have daily access to a standard and well-maintained acoustic piano.”
The other 47 studios
Mundelein, IL
“A solid bench of appropriate height is also necessary.”
Rockville, MD
“I highly encourage students to have a real acoustic piano after 1-2 years of lessons.”
Cleveland metro area
“Have a piano or full-sized keyboard with 88-weighted keys, foot pedal and a bench at proper height in your home.”
Cedar Hills, UT
“If a digital piano is used, it must be full-sized with 88 weighted keys and a pedal.”
Osceola, PA
“88 keys are preferable, but 76 keys would be sufficient.”
Council Bluffs, IA
“An acoustic piano or an 88 key touch-sensitive digital piano with weighted keys and a pedal is required.”
Show the other 41 studios
North Fort Worth
“A piano or full-size keyboard (88 keys) with weighted keys and pedal is required!”
Debi's Piano and Sewing Studio
Needham, MA
“In order for your technique/hand strength to develop, a WEIGHTED keyboard is a must.”
Houston (Clear Lake City), TX
“An 88-key weighted digital piano may be used during the first two years of study; as students advance, an acoustic piano becomes increasingly important for developing technique and tone.”
Decatur, GA
“If you have an electronic or digital piano, it must have 88 full-sized, touch sensitive keys and at least two pedals.”
Duluth, MN
“Electric keyboards are acceptable, but they must be full size, with 88 weighted keys and a proper bench.”
Friend of Music (Friend of Music Piano Studio)
Clackamas
“A well-tuned acoustic piano in good condition, or an 88–key digital piano with weighted keys, must be available for daily practice.”
FunKey Piano Project (Texas State University)
San Marcos, TX
“By the end of the registration period, a student must have an instrument with a full keyboard of 88 keys at home.”
South Deerfield, MA
“Weighted keys, not semi-weighted (weighted = loud and quiet sounds by touch)”
Chicago (North Park), IL
“A keyboard is completely acceptable, if it has 88 weighted keys and a damper pedal.”
Inspire Academy of Music and Arts (Inspire Music Academy)
Pleasanton, CA
“The keyboard/digital piano should have 88 full-sized keys (like a regular acoustic piano) and pedals”
Freehold, NJ
“I don’t require students to have any particular kind of piano at home, but I do recommend having at least an 88-key keyboard”
Saline, MI
“Private students are expected to practice daily on a well-maintained acoustic piano or full-sized (88 keys) digital piano.”
A Joyful Piano Studio (Virtual Piano Studio)
Whidbey Island, WA
“You are advised to have a piano or full-sized keyboard (88 keys) for practice.”
Newark, DE
“If you have a keyboard, the keys should be weighted (best is ‘graded hammer action’) or in the very least, ‘touch sensitive.’”
Tracy, CA
“They must have a foot pedal, a music rack, and a bench that sits at proper height for the pianist.”
LeBlanc-Kinne Piano Lessons (LK Piano Studio)
San Diego, CA
“I personally recommend intermediate-level keyboards initially so you do not have to purchase two instruments within a year.”
Mary Regan (Piano & Guitar Instructor)
Fitchburg, WI
“please ensure it has a solid wooden stand (not a cross brace), three pedals, fully weighted keys, and an adjustable padded bench”
Maryann Christensen Piano Studio (Music with Maryann)
Denver, CO
“I recommend that keyboards/digital pianos be full size (88 keys) with a sustain/damper pedal and weighted keys.”
Puyallup, WA
“A digital piano with the following features: 88 keys, touch sensitivity, weighted keys, sustain/damper pedal, bench seat, and is on a keyboard stand”
Minnetonka, MN
“Otherwise, an digital piano with 88 weighted keys and a sustain pedal would be an acceptable option.”
Chattanooga, TN
“Please be sure that you have a sustain pedal or that you can add one later (a sustain ‘button’ is not the same thing).”
San Diego, CA
“If you have a keyboard, please make sure it has full-size 88 hammer-action keys with a weighted feel that includes the damper pedal.”
Music Makers Piano (Music Makers Piano Studio)
Grand Prairie, TX
“You will need to have an acoustic piano that is in tune or an electronic keyboard that has weighted keys AND is touch sensitive.”
Gilbertsville, PA
“It is recommended that the instrument have 88 weighted keys and be tuned regularly (if applicable).”
Auburn, ME
“The piano can be electric or acoustic, and must have touch sensitivity, 88 weighted keys and a damper pedal.”
Santa Cruz
“You must have a tuned, functioning piano, or a full-size 88 key touch-sensitive electronic keyboard in the home for daily practice!”
New York City and Jersey City
“It is expected that each family owns an acoustic piano in the home (if no acoustic piano, a keyboard with weighted keys and a foot pedal is required).”
Piano Lab (The Asheville Conservatory of the Arts)
Asheville
“Piano Students must have at least a full-size (88 weighted keys) digital or acoustic piano available for regular practice.”
Fishers, IN
“All students must have an in-home acoustic piano or an 88 weighted key, touch-sensitive digital piano with a damper pedal.”
Brookline, MA
“For digital pianos, please use a full-size keyboard (88 keys) with weighted, touch-sensitive keys and pedals.”
Bangor, ME
“A piano with an attached solid base stand that includes 2-3 pedals integrated into it.”
Charlotte, NC
“If you must use a keyboard, it should have at least 76 keys, be touch sensitive”
Camden, ME
“Students must have an acoustic piano (properly functioning and tuned) or quality keyboard (88 weighted keys) in their home.”
Woodbridge (Dale City area), VA
“If you have a digital piano, it must have: a full 88 keyboard, weighted keys (they play louder when you press them harder, softer when you press lightly), and a damper pedal.”
Smithfield, UT
“Students should have access to a piano or full-sized keyboard with 88-weighted keys and a bench at the proper height.”
Peyton, CO
“Students taking six months or more of lessons need a digital piano with 88 weighted keys and a damper pedal or an acoustic piano”
Dallas
“We do recommend that your keyboard have the full 88 keys (as opposed to many smaller 66-key electric pianos)”
Stephanie Lee (Stephleepianostudio)
Newcastle, WA
“An acoustic piano is strongly recommended, as they offer a much wider range of control and depth of sound than a digital piano.”
Lexington, KY
“Your child MUST have the proper instrument to practice on at home, or they will not be able to take lessons at Studio 88.”
Peoria, AZ
“students are required to have a piano or 88-key weighted keyboard with foot pedal, stand, and a bench at the proper height”
Tampa (Temple Terrace area), FL
“If your child is using a keyboard it must be touch sensitive, have a pedal, and have 61 keys or more. After a year or two you will need to invest in either an acoustic piano or a good digital piano with weighted keys to get the full benefit of piano lessons.”
How we counted
In October 2026 we searched for US piano studios that publish their policies online, and read each policy page, studio FAQ or lesson page in full. Every line quoted here was copied from the studio's own page and then checked against the live page word for word. Each studio is quoted once, in one short line, and linked.
A requirement counts only where the page says it's needed: must, should, need, required, or acceptable only if. Anything a page recommends or prefers isn't counted. We read pages; we didn't contact the studios, and none of them asked or paid to be here. This page has no shop links.
Teachers: if your studio is here and you'd like its line changed or taken out, email hello@pianoranked.com and we'll do it.
The checklist
The parents' checklist uses the same counts as this page, on one printable page with space for your teacher's notes.