Hey. Iโm Tobin
I write songs
& study cognition
About
I'm a composer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist, with a love for jazz piano and composing for the screen.
I'm also a Cognitive Science student at Dartmouth College, focusing on language, thought, and creativity. My research focuses on the connections between language, thought, and memory, and on musical surrogate languages. I am fascinated by human cognitionโspecifically how we process and create language and sound. I am passionate about making tools that help creators create.
My favorite place to be is at the piano bench, blank sheet of staff paper in front of me, where I draw inspiration from Bill Evans, Fazil Say, Philip Glass, Maurice Ravel, and Joรฃo Gilberto. Growing up in NYC, I was exposed to a diverse range of artists and musicians who continue to shape the way I think about creating.
I began playing piano at age five, started studying jazz piano in middle school under the instruction of Joe Block, and trained at the Manhattan School of Music's precollege jazz program under Jeremy Manasia. I am open to collaborations and commissioned works; I play private events, concerts, and festivals solo and as a bandleader, and teach private lessons in piano, music theory, and drums.
Listen
DEBUT ALBUM OUT NOV 6
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DEBUT ALBUM OUT NOV 6 //
โBlues Rue de Chevreuseโ, the first single from my debut album, is out now on streaming platforms.
Projects & Research
Cognitive science research
Priming, Memory & Conceptual Combination
Frankland Lab, Dartmouth · Jan 2026–Present
Currently working on a research project investigating whether different forms of conceptual combination have different implications for short-term memory.
Music technology
Harmonym
Independent creator ยท June 2026–Present
A harmonic-analysis tool for composers, inspired by Brian Eno’s oblique cards. Upload a MIDI file and get Roman-numeral analysis, key detection, or gravitate towards oblique-strategies-style prompts instead. Planned: paintbrush mode (non-functional harmony).