Playing the Accordion

Accordion playing in the Aderman and Boerner families

A favorite musical instrument for some in the Aderman and Boerner families was the accordion. In Kohler, Wisconsin, Jacob Boerner had a thriving accordion business, playing for many local events, giving lessons, and taking care of others’ accordions.

In Niagara, Wisconsin, their cousin, Darrell Aderman, picked up the accordion at an early age and “took to it” as a favorite musical instrument. In High School, he took lessons on Wednesday nights after school from  Ernest C. “Pines” Caviani (1897 – 1974), who lived across the river in Iron Mountain, Michigan. Mr. Caviani would travel to the houses of his students to give them lessons. Much like the Boerner brothers, Darrell  played at banquets, dances, played in duets and trios (accordion, drums, tenor sax, and/or trumpet) on occasion. As accordion music would have it, country western and polkas were the most common style of music they played.

Darrell with his third accordion.

Darrell continued playing when he went to college and gave lessons in the towns Oregon and Evansville, Wisconsin to earn a little extra cash. He charged $1.50 for 30 -45 minutes and, like his teacher, would go to the houses of his students to teach them.

Once Darrell moved to northwest Wisconsin and worked as a public school music educator, he still gave accordion lessons in his home several nights each week. In the earlier years, he had an accordion band made of his students and throughout his years as a teacher, filled his schedule with students from all around the region.