Yamaha PSRE253 61-Key Portable Keyboard

The Yamaha PSR-E253 Portable Keyboard is packed full of great sounds and features, ideal for aspiring musicians who are just starting out. Use the on-board lesson feature, Yamaha Education Suite (Y.E.S.), to learn the 100 preset songs, or take advantage of 385 instrument Voices and 100 Styles to experiment and create your own music. The AUX IN jack turns the PSR-E253 into a speaker system for your MP3 player so you can play along or just listen, all for a very affordable price.

The PSR-E253 comes with a collection of 385 different instrument Voices, including pianos, flutes, and guitars. The grand piano Voices, in particular, utilize stereo-sampled sounds with a superb feeling of presence. Players can enjoy reverb effects for the feeling of playing in a concert hall, and choruses that add extra breadth and resonance to the sound.

The lesson function offers a total of nine stages — three for the left hand, three for the right and three for both hands — that help beginners practice the songs stored in the instrument. There's a scoring function that makes it fun to practice and improve and a "Waiting" function that adjusts the tempo to the person playing, pausing the accompaniment until the correct note is played.

Weighing in at less than 9 lbs, the PSR-E253 is light enough to take anywhere with ease. It can even run on batteries for live performances when you're out and about.