Pianist Jerrol Higgins closes out 13 years with FUMC, discovers his love of piano along the way

First United Methodist Church of Graham saw the departure of 13-year pianist Jerrol Higgins Sunday, but for Higgins, his time at the church served as an opportunity to discover why his passion for piano was important.

Higgins started playing piano when he was 5-year-old and in fifth grade his parents were recommended to send him to another teacher due to his talent. That summer his parents arranged him to audition with a pianist with the Houston Symphony.

“I went and auditioned with a pianist of the Houston Symphony (who was the wife of) Clyde Roller. Her husband was the symphony conductor. So I auditioned and she took me for a summer. That was my first introduction to serious piano. I was scared to death going in there. She was such a proper lady,” he said. “After that summer, I couldn’t go back to my old teachers. I was raised in a small town of 4,000. People helped my parents, who were just farmers, and they got me connected to start taking on the college level at the junior college and they drove 30 minutes, one way, to take me every week when I was in fifth grade to piano lessons, and sometime I’d go for theory. I did all my studies at that time through freshman year in high school there at the college. (I) drove over, did my recitals and everything in the college auditorium, concert hall.”

His freshman year of high school Higgins quit playing piano because of sports conflicts and being pushed to do piano contests which would require more practice. Higgins said he did not return to formal studies of the piano until his early 30s.

“I went back and got my bachelors of music and my master’s in music. I didn’t study music in college when I was in college. So I went back with (my wife) Tammy, my support. We had two children while I was in grad school. It was great years, but it was hard years,” he said. “So I got all that done in three years and prior to that I had gone over to North Texas and I took my theories, my piano proficiency. So that really helped me get down the road further into the piano performance. It was a ministry piano performance degree.”

For the full story, see the Wednesday, Dec. 21 edition of The Graham Leader.