The short version, kept current. Updated July 2026.
The keyboard must speak MIDI, which in practice means one thing: look at the back panel for a USB port labeled USB, USB TO HOST, or a socket shaped like a printer plug or phone plug. That port is how KeyStage reads exactly which keys your child presses. No microphone, no guessing, never marked wrong when they played it right.
The default family keyboard for a reason: sturdy, touch-sensitive, and the USB TO HOST port on the back is exactly what the iPad needs. Skip the E263, which has no USB port.
Slim, runs on batteries, and connects over USB. The CT-S300 adds touch-sensitive keys, which is worth the few extra dollars.
A pure MIDI controller: it makes no sound of its own, but KeyStage plays the piano sound through the iPad, so nothing is missing. The cheapest reliable path to real keys.
| Your keyboard has | Your iPad has | You need |
|---|---|---|
| Square USB-B port (printer style), like the Yamaha | USB-C | One USB-B to USB-C cable, about $10 |
| Micro-USB port, like the Casio CT-S | USB-C | One micro-USB to USB-C cable, about $10 |
| Any USB port | Lightning (older iPads) | Apple's Lightning to USB camera adapter, plus the keyboard's normal USB cable |
Plug it in and KeyStage finds the keyboard by itself. There is no setup screen to get lost in.
Bluetooth MIDI works and some newer keyboards offer it. It adds a little delay, which KeyStage measures during a 30-second calibration and corrects for, so scoring stays honest. But a cable is cheaper, simpler, and never needs pairing. If you are choosing, choose the cable.
If it has a USB port, you are done. Almost every digital piano made in the last fifteen years does, including every Yamaha Clavinova, Roland, Kawai, and Casio Privia. An acoustic piano is the one instrument KeyStage cannot listen to, because we refuse to guess notes through a microphone.
Later. The first two years of the curriculum live comfortably inside 61 keys, and a beginner's hands do not need weighted action to learn to read, count, and play. When your child is playing real repertoire and you both know the habit has stuck, that is the moment for a proper 88-key digital piano, and the used market is kind there too.