Waukon Music Department receives grand performance piano donated by James and Sue Bieber ...

During the 1961-1962 school year, the Allamakee Community School District (ACSD) Board of Directors approved the purchase of a piano for the school district when Peter Bieber, father of James Bieber and grandfather of current Waukon 6-12 grades vocal music teacher Sarah Bieber, was president of the school board. When not in use, it was kept in a padlocked box in the old high school gymnasium, and officials for basketball games were even known to have sat on top of it. When the old Waukon High School burned down in 1965, this piano was brought to the new high school (the current FFA room at Waukon High School). It was used heavily, not taken care of, and eventually sold at an auction.

Merlyn Finley, a local piano tuner, restored the piano and asked the Bieber family if they were interested in purchasing it, which they did. The piano was used in their home music room (pictured in photo below) from 1995 up until this past summer of 2021 when they donated it back to the school.

After piano movers from West Music out of Cedar Falls transitioned the grand piano to its new home at Waukon High School (pictured in photo at center), the piano’s debut return into the Waukon Music Department was at the Fall Preview Concert performed by seventh through 12th grade students in mid-October, under the direction of Sarah Bieber. Kristie Roeder of Waukon accompanied the choirs at the piano and Waukon High School senior Abby Wiemerslage (seated at the piano in the photo above with fellow students from the Waukon High School Music Department) accompanied the mass 7-12 Choir on the instrument as the choir sang “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”. Submitted photos.