Does she receive paid compensation for playing the piano at these churches?
If she receives $400 or more during the year in compensation then she is self-employed and must file a Schedule C with your personal tax return.
Any items she buys for use by the business can be entered as an expense. However, if the item can be used for both personal use and business use then only the percentage of business use can be deducted from the self-employment income.
IRS website for self-employed individuals - https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/self-employed-individuals-tax-center
Thank you! I now need to ask the question slightly different as my wife corrected me. She is actually employed by both churches. Does that change the deduction process?
if she gets w-2's (ie she's an employee) - the cost of the piano neither in whole or in part is deductible