Business Manager
Date of appointment: September 1, 2023
Member Biography
Andrew Higgins was born in England and after studying Piano at the London College of Music and graduating from the University of Surrey specialising in Composition and Performance with Musicology, he spent 15 formative years touring the world as a session musician and music producer in the ‘not so swinging eighties’. During the 1990’s he decided to devote more time to composition and to the teaching of music history, theory and composition as well as the piano. Several of his piano pupils have since gone on to study at specialised Music Schools or at University level and one 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 in the now classic Alfred’s Basic Piano Library. Her all-encompassing holistic approach focussing on the ‘pianist as musician’, inspired him to develop Dr Lethco’s ideas still further by incorporating improvising and memorising techniques into ABPL’s teaching philosophy. So much so, that 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! Since 2020 Andrew has worked as a freelance teacher, composer, writer and consultant. He continues to work with teachers on developing best practise strategies for creative teaching. In 2020 he was asked by the Royal Irish Academy of Music to develop the Academy Piano Course for their junior students. 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 21st century, this is always underpinned by a clear emphasis on sound technique and musicality. As a composer/songwriter Andrew continues to add to a growing roster of pieces and songs. The Three Celtic Legends published by Alfred Publishing are evocative tone pictures for the piano reflecting English Coastal Landscapes and two collections of piano pieces Seasons and Birds were published by EVC Publications. His songs, something of a guilty pleasure, appear under The QuietLife Project soubriquet and range widely from accessible popular styles to more complex progressive tracks.