According to research at University of Zurich <www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/6447588/Playing-a-musical-instrument-makes-you-brainier.html> learning to play a musical instrument, such as the guitar, helps people develop better mental focus and increased memory. This benefit is especially promising for those who suffer from memory loss or ADD. The same study also showed music-making can improve one’s IQ by as much as...Continue Reading

Learning to play the guitar can be a bonding experience between parent and child, like playing catch or a board game. If approached as a connective personal exchange, music making together can be playful activity leading to an exchange of creative ideas. Like shooting hoops on a basketball court, playing an instrument can also be...Continue Reading

Learning to Play the Guitar Step by Step for Children and Their Parents The thesis of this book is children need help gaining the physical skill and conceptual understanding of music making. Who is better invested than you: their parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles? If you are one of the 85% of adults who did not...Continue Reading

The introductory lesson (below is a sample portion of the video) teaches you how to hold the instrument, position your hand and the fingers for the best results. It includes enjoyable music-making pieces that also help the learner develop solid basic skills and play duets! The introductory courses are ideal for students of all ages....Continue Reading

After forty years of teaching and thoughtful consideration of why students struggle and sometimes fail to learn good playing habits (technique), struggle at note reading, refuse to count rhythms, adopt ineffective practice habits, and lose motivation to improve their skills PZ presents innovative and creative new approaches to address all the above-mentioned issues…and more. While...Continue Reading

Dr. Peter Joseph Zisa was a featured artist on February 23 and 24th Guitar Festival at Vanguard University, located in Santa Ana California. The Vanguard Guitar Festival was organized by Michael Nigro, the university’s classical guitar director. Dozens of High School programs participated in the Festival. Opened festival performances Friday evening at Needham Hall. In...Continue Reading

This spring, Zisa returned to Japan to give the keynote address for the five-year anniversary 2011 Earthquake-Tsunami and premiere an original composition dedicated to the city of Hiroshima. He also performed works by Vivaldi, Carulli, and Ibert with classical guitarist Kazuhiko Yamada and flutist Naoko Hamamoto.Continue Reading

This past August I had the great opportunity to speak with Classical Guitarist Luciano Tortorelli about the wonderful music community we have in the Portland/Vancouver, Washington area. In this interview, Luciano and I discuss the Portland Guitar Society and my work in the community as an educator and performer. It is always wonderful to connect with...Continue Reading

Recently, performances of Peter Zisa with the Oregon Guitar Quartet were added to YouTube. Here is one of the videos: [youtube d0c8aO_97yE] Click here to see more videos of Peter performing as part of the Oregon Guitar Quartet.Continue Reading

This past Fall, Peter completed work on two music publications, Classical Guitar: Fundamentals, Technique, and Theory and Exploring Musical Styles . The first book, Classical Guitar: Fundamentals, Technique, and Theory, is designed to provide the beginning student with fundamentals in technique, knowledge of basic chord forms, and introductory knowledge of the scale forms and the...Continue Reading