Piano Lessons in Alamo Square

Daniel Zarb-Cousin is a San Francisco–based composer, pianist, and vocalist. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Composition from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he studied under composer David Conte.

After discovering his calling as a composer, Daniel taught himself piano during high school while performing in wind band, where he developed proficiency on both tenor saxophone and clarinet.

Above all his musical vocations, Daniel holds teaching as his most important and most cherished work. He teaches students of all ages, with extensive experience both privately and through music schools across San Francisco. His approach emphasizes musical understanding alongside technique, helping students not only play, but think, hear, and engage deeply with the music.

Over eight years of teaching, he has expanded beyond traditional repertoire and technique to guide students through a wide range of stylistic avenues. As a composer and devoted student of music, he brings a broad and integrated understanding of repertoire, theory, history, and the underlying mechanics that give music its expressive power. He encourages improvisation and harmonic exploration even within the structure of method books, believing that music truly begins to breathe when the fingers align with the imagination.