Kelly Hertz/P&D Dixie Church of Yankton has been a fixture at school concerts and other musical events as an accompanist on the piano. "I don't know who I would be if it weren't for my music. It's the definitive part of me," she said. "I often feel like it's the one true ability God gave me, and I want to make the most of it." Click to view the Slideshow

Dixie Church can't imagine life without music.

"This is who I am, and it's how I define myself," the Yankton woman said. "I don't know who I would be if it weren't for my music. It's the definitive part of me. I often feel like it's the one true ability God gave me, and I want to make the most of it."

For a number of years, Church has been fixture as an accompanist at almost every school concert held in Yankton.

Like many people, the 71-year-old began playing the piano when she was quite young - 8 years old, in her case. However, Church was one of the rare children who stuck with it and continually developed her abilities, committing herself to a lifetime of teaching others not only how to play piano but how to sing.

At an age when many people would consider retirement, Church has just begun to slow down. In recent months, she has played piano accompaniment at various school concerts.

Additionally, Church continues to take on students for piano and vocal lessons - though not as many as in the past, she admits. She has also given up being the organist, pianist or choir director at a church.

"At this point, I have no intention of quitting," she said. "I am cutting back on the amount of students I take because I don't want it to be a job. I don't ever want it to be a job.

"As long as my walker will get me to the piano, I'll probably still be teaching," Church jokes - adding, for the record, that she does not use a walker.

Church credits her parents with allowing her to pursue musical interests.

"My parents were really determined that I was going to play piano," she said.

If Church didn't want to do the dishes or help with the gardening, they would tell her that she would have to practice the piano instead.

"They did whatever it took," Church recalled. "I had long curly hair. In the morning before I went to school, Mother would stand behind me as I practiced the piano and brush my hair - whatever it took."

After growing up in Kansas and moving around for employment, Church and her husband settled in Yankton permanently in 1970. She was already a veteran at teaching others about music, having taken it up (as what Church still calls a hobby) in the 1950s.

One of the joys of teaching music is the fact that you learn so much in the process, Church said.

"I feel like I need to be able to say at Judgment Day that I did everything I could to teach my students how to play," she said. "Every place that I've been, I've encouraged my students to participate in both church and community activities. If kids don't start when they're relatively young, they're not going to come crawling out of the woodwork when they're 30 years old."

It's still hard to watch students who she believes have talent and potential give up, Church said. It always makes her wonder if there's something more she could have done to encourage them, she said.

"That always makes me feel really badly, because very nearly everybody can learn to play and sing," Church said.

Practice early on can pay off, Church noted. The only reason she is able to play for as many school concerts and other activities as she does is because has developed the ability to sight-read.

"One of the few skills that I feel that God has given me is sight-reading," Church said. "An awful lot of the time, I really don't have to spend time at the music. I can sit down and sight-read it.

"Now, that's not to say I couldn't do better if I had been practicing," she adds quickly. Church wouldn't want to give her young students the wrong idea, after all.

"But that's really the reason I'm able to do as much as I'm able to do," she said. "If I sincerely had to sit down and practice everything I do, I could not do it. There wouldn't be time."

Not everyone can make a living by doing what they love. Church said it hasn't made her rich, but it has made her happy.

"It's such a pleasure to be paid for your hobby, but I don't do it for money," she said. "I do it because I really love doing it."