(1960– )
Andrew Higgins was
born in 1960 in England. After studying piano at the London College of
Music, he graduated from the University of Surrey, specializing in Composition
and Performance with musicology. Andrew spent 15 formative years touring
the world as a session musician and music producer in the 1980s and, with
several albums behind him at that point, decided to devote more time to
composition and to teaching the piano. Several of his piano students have
since gone on to study at specialized Music Schools or at university level
and one of his former students is now a concert pianist in his own right.
Andrew joined Alfred Publishing in 1996, which coincided with his discovery
of the pedagogical insights of the late Dr. Amanda Vick-Lethco, a co-author
of Alfred's Basic Piano Library. Her all-encompassing holistic
approach, focusing on the "pianist as musician," inspired him
to develop Dr. Lethco's ideas still further by incorporating improvising
and memorizing techniques into Alfred's Basic Piano Library's teaching
philosophy. When Dr. Lethco attended one of his seminars, she confessed
to having no idea that her books could be used in such a creative way!
Andrew now works extensively with Alfred Publishing in the UK and Europe,
promoting their ideals of musicianship through workshops and lectures,
and meeting with teachers, performers and their students to discuss piano
teaching techniques. Many teachers have remarked on the freedom and flexibility
in his approach to music and, while Andrew considers improvisation and
composition an intrinsic aspect of making music in the twenty-first century,
this is always underpinned by a clear emphasis on sound technique and
musicality.
For a complete listing of titles by this author, click HERE.