LEO AGUIAR IS A BRAZILIAN COMPOSER, MUSICIAN, RESEARCHER AND EDUCATOR WITH ACADEMIC BACKGROUND IN MUSIC. HE DEVELOPS HIS WORK WITH THE ACOUSTIC GUITAR AND BRAZILIAN MUSIC THROUGH AN INSTRUMENTAL APPROACH WHICH HE CALLS PERCUSSIVE GUITAR. THROUGHOUT HIS CAREER HE HAS BEEN ENGAGED IN ARTISTIC CREATION THROUGH MUSICAL RESEARCH AND HAS BROUGHT TO THE WORLD OF MUSIC EDUCATION HIS EXPERIENCE WITH THIS NEW GUITAR TECHNIQUE. IN HIS HANDS THE GUITAR BECOMES SIMULTANEOUSLY TWO INSTRUMENTS: ONE FOR PLUCKING STRINGS AND THE OTHER A PERCUSSIVE INSTRUMENT. SINCE 2002, LEO HAS BEEN CONDUCTING THIS ELABORATE WORK OF REFRAMING THE GUITAR AS A PERCUSSION  INSTRUMENT, EXCEEDING ITS LIMITS AS A STRING INSTRUMENT. THIS WORK REQUIRED  A SPECIFIC MUSICAL WRITING, ITS OWN TECHNIQUE AND A MUSICAL REPERTOIRE FOR THIS  INSTRUMENTAL APPROACH. HIS STUDIES WITH GUITARIST NAPOLEON COSTA GREATLY CONTRIBUTED TO HIS DEVELOPMENT AS A MUSICIAN.