His successive organ appointments were St. Mark's, Kennington, 1852–64, St.Michael's, Stockwell, 1864-7 and for twenty-eight years of St. Andrews, Holborn, 1867 to 1895, when he retired from playing in public.
As original member of the Musical Association, he succeeded the late Charles Kensington Salaman as Hon.Secretary in 1877, and held the post for six years.
He read two instructive papers before the Association - on 'Bach's Art of Fugue', in 1877, and 'Samuel Wesley : his life, times, and influence on music', in 1894.
In collaboration with Sir Frederic Bridge he edited 'Bach's Organ Music', and he was the editor of a collection of two-part Solfeggi in Novello's Primer Series.
"Dr. Higgs will be long remembered for his thoroughness as a teacher and for his kindly nature - qualities possessed by him in no small degree, and to which the present writer, one of his old pupils, bears full and grateful testimony".