His many students included John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Yusef Lateef, Sonny Fortune, Barry Harris, Archie Shepp, Buster Williams, Jimmy Owens, and Billy Taylor.

He married his wife Muriel Dockery Wiggins on November 3, 1956, with whom he had three daughters, Rosalyn Cowell in 1957, Suzan Elaine in 1959, and Carol Melissa in 1966.

[3] He then moved to New York where he studied with American composer and theorist Henry Cowell and in 1961 became an authorized instructor of the Schillinger System of Musical Composition.

He wanted his students to understand the traditional rules of melodic motion, how notes are arranged, harmonic progression, and rhythmic structure, sometimes called "inside theory".

To emphasize the importance of understanding how syntax rules are applied and to encourage students to improve their approach to learning in general, he would also teach symbolic logic in his music theory classes.

The atonal method is a theory based on consistently breaking the rules of Western tonal music, and draws on the work of Joseph Schillinger.

He'd play on the piano a beautiful "inside" piece (usually a jazz standard) while telling students how he was following melodic and harmonic rules.

[9][10] Following his death on November 20, 2019, the Virginia state legislature introduced on March 2, 2020 House Joint Resolution 419 to recognize and celebrate Wiggins's achievements.