Scott Higgins is always looking for that perfect note.
As the lead piano technician for the Hugh Hodgson School of Music and the Performing Arts Center, Higgins dedicates each day to ensuring that the university’s pianos are performing at the highest level.
Higgins comes from a family of piano technicians. After graduating high school in 1979, Higgins attended a trade school in Boston to learn to work on pianos, following in the footsteps of his father, grandfather and uncle.
“I originally wanted to be a veterinarian or a police officer,” he said. “But I went to Boston to try this piano thing, and eventually a school in Boston hired me as a piano technician.”
Higgins worked for several schools and organizations in Boston like the New England Conservatory and the Boston Symphony before moving to the University of Oregon, the University of Memphis and Interlochen Center for the Arts. With every institution, he worked with Steinway pianos. UGA’s status as an All-Steinway School drew him to the university in 2011. The university’s chosen brand of piano and the convenient Georgia location have made UGA the perfect place for Higgins.
“I like being here, and it’s close to some great places,” he said. “I did a festival in South Carolina and one in Savannah. They were close enough to where I didn’t have to pack up my stuff and weigh it to get on the plane.”
In the last 13 years, Higgins has worked to replace 40% of the university’s piano inventory, providing students and visiting performers with even higher quality instruments. He recently oversaw the purchase of 30 new pianos, a large feat for a music school.
“That’s very unique. I don’t know any other school that has done that unless they’re establishing a new program where they say, ‘We’ve got to buy pianos,’” Higgins said. “When we bought these pianos, I put on my LinkedIn page, ‘We’ve got a pretty good football team, but we have a stunning piano inventory.’”
In 2021, he received the Franklin College Staff Excellence in Service Award, a testament to the work he does for the School of Music and Performing Arts Center.
Higgins usually begins his day at the Performing Arts Center as he checks the Steinway pianos used by visiting performers like Alfredo Rodriguez and Yulianna Avdeeva. Depending on the day, the pianos may be checked several times a day. For the School of Music, he and his colleague Tony Graves spend time in each practice room to make sure the pianos are performing well for the students and faculty.
Scott Higgins works on a disassembled Steinway grand piano at the Performing Arts Center. (Photo by Dorothy Kozlowski/UGA)
Some pianos need more work than others. While many pianos may simply need a tuning, another piano may be in Higgins’ workstation, waiting to have its insides replaced.
“There are about 12,000 parts in a piano, and they all have to work simultaneously together,” Higgins said. “Most people walk up to a piano, they see the keys, they play it, and there’s no problem. But if each part isn’t regulated properly, an experienced pianist would have difficulty making a piano do what they wanted it to do.”
In this position, Higgins has found confidence to be his most useful tool. When working with renowned pianists, he’s learned how important it is to make them feel assured in his abilities.
“For a big concert, I’ll show up in a suit and tie, and it completely changes the whole atmosphere,” he said. “When I look the part, they’re more likely to trust that I really know the instrument.”
Higgins appreciates any opportunity to teach people about pianos. In January, he participated in his first Piano Day, a chance for high school students to learn about pianos in an effort to increase interest in UGA’s piano programs. Along with master classes and chances to speak with faculty members, Higgins facilitated a lesson on piano maintenance.
“Very few piano players, even the ones that travel around the world, know about their instrument,” he said. “If you’re a clarinet player, you do your own repairs. If you play the cello, you do your own thing. Pianos are one of the few instruments where the instrument is provided.”
When he isn’t working with pianos, Higgins enjoys mountain biking with his wife and taking acting classes. While work makes it difficult for him to find the time to dedicate to longer productions, he has had the opportunity to be featured in music videos, commercials and short-form soap operas.
Back on campus, Higgins is dedicating himself to a new goal.
“If I could get four new Bs for this school,” he said, referring to a specific model of Steinway piano, “we would be untouchable.”