is it possible to learn piano without the instrument

[ingunite]

I know several youngsters who have expressed a wish to learn the piano. Unfortunately, they do not own a piano or a keyboard. They do have an occasional access to acoustic pianos, but not enough to have time for a meaningful practice on them. I have directed them to free or low-cost pianos on craigslist, but no results as yet.
Hence my question:
Is it humanly possible to start learning to play at a beginner's level using a paper cut-out of a keyboard (a long strip of paper with life-size black and black keys drawn on it)? While realizing how unrewarding and limited the experience would be, I was thinking that, at least theoretically, it still could provide very basic exercises for the fingers while learning to find the way around, say, scales and simple melodies.
So... A curious mind wants to know your opinion on the value or futility of it.
P.S.
Also, I vaguely remember some stories from WWII about pianists in hiding who kept practicing on keyboards drawn or painted on tables, floors, or any hard surface.

[Bob]

I'm thinking "not really."

You could learn singing or ear training and basic music theory that would transfer over once there is an actual physical piano there.

Keyboards aren't that expensive.  Although you can get an upright for free a lot of times, but then you have to tune it.

[ingunite]

Thank you, Bob.
I agree, and I would not recommend going this way myself. But it takes all kinds...

[pianist1976]

Is it humanly possible to start learning to play at a beginner's level using a paper cut-out of a keyboard (a long strip of paper with life-size black and black keys drawn on it)?

Schumann had the answer, so I can add nothing to his wise words: "There are such things as mute pianoforte-keyboards; try them for a while, and you will discover that they are useless. Dumb people cannot teach us to speak."

Also, I vaguely remember some stories from WWII about pianists in hiding who kept practicing on keyboards drawn or painted on tables, floors, or any hard surface.

It's possible. I also have friends who practiced on the hotel's room table before a competition or concert if they hadn't a piano available. But there's a big difference, they practiced thousands of hours on real pianos before that, using this trick only as a temporary substitute in order to maintain finger agility. This mustn't/cannot be done by a beginner (in my opinion)  

[lostinidlewonder]

I'll echo pianist1976 in saying that it is possible but you need to have a lot of piano experience, it just wont work for a beginner. I can remember being on holiday and not touched a piano for over 1 month, going out of my mind I drew a piano keyboard up and felt a lot better. lol.

You can practice coordination, beat and rhythm away from the piano, like tapping one hand against the other in different patterns. You can also practice fingering, like holding one finger down and then playing the others etc.

[honeywill]

If you don't have access to an instrument, you can't learn to play it, simple as. If the youngster is desperate to make music, they can buy a simple recorder for a few pounds/dollars and get going, learning the basics of reading music and so on, or put together a collection of saucepans and start playing some percussion. No way no how are they ever going to learn the piano from a piece of paper or playing a table, and why would they want to? Where's the fun or musical experience in that?

[lindymargaret]

But why would anyone want to?!

[gyzzzmo]

Learn the piano? No
Learn the keyboard? A bit

[pianoplayjl]

NO because then you wouldn't know how to play properly.