Students are highly encouraged to have an instrument at home to practice with. If you'll be taking online classes, it's a must since you'll be playing it during your lesson! We are more than happy to recommend a variety of instruments based on budgeting and the student's needs/level. For piano lessons, our Director prepared this video on what to look for when purchasing a keyboard for piano lessons.
Although a real (acoustic) piano is always best, it is not necessary to begin lessons. The majority of students begin with a keyboards and once they decide they like it, then you can consider renting of purchasing an acoustic or digital piano. The most important thing to know when renting or purchasing a keyboard is that it must have full sized keys (each individual key should be the same size and an individual piano key) and it must be touch sensitive (if you hit the key hard, it makes a loud sound, if you hit it softly, it makes a soft sound). It is best to get a keyboard with at least 60+ keys so that the student does not outgrow it too quickly (a regular piano has 88 keys). Whenever possible, a weighted action is preferred to a semi-weighted or non-weighted action so that students can practice on an instrument that closely resembles the feel of the piano.