Anne Elise Pierce was born March 14, 1890 in Saginaw, Michigan. She had a sister, Bessie Louise Pierce. Ms. Pierce received her B.M. (Bachelor of Music) degree in 1920 from the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago, Illinois. She received her B.A. from the State University of Iowa in 1927. In 1928 she took the M.M. (Master of Music) degree from the American Conservatory of Music. She took the M.A. degree from Columbia University in New York in 1930. The American Conservatory of Music awarded her the honorary doctor of music degree in 1950.

Ms. Pierce served as assistant to the voice teacher at Iowa State Teachers College (later University of Northern Iowa) from 1914 to 1917. She taught music at the State University of Iowa Experimental Schools, 1917-1919. She was professor of voice at the Cornell College Conservatory of Music, 1919-1923. She returned to the S.U.I. Experimental Schools in 1926 as assistant professor and head. She was promoted to associate professor in 1939. During summer sessions from 1938 to 1946 she was visiting professor of music education at Northwestern University. Ms. Pierce retired in 1955.

Many of her publications focused on voice and music instruction at the elementary school level. Her performances were broadcast on Iowa City radio station WHAA (later WSUI) on July 29, 1924, and on WSUI on December 21, 1925. Anne E. Pierce died July 10, 1967.