Al is currently pursuing professional performance studies at The College of New Jersey, where he is a student of distinguished guitar professor Dr. James Day. In 2009 he spent a semester in Germany, studying guitar under Professor Michael Teuchert at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst ("Academy of Music and Performing Arts") in Frankfurt. Since 2002, he has also been pursuing private studies in jazz guitar with Mark Sganga in Oakland, NJ. Further training has included a jazz improvisation course with Chris Clark and Richie Cole in 2007, as well as an east/west improvisation workshop with Pandit Sanjoy Bandopadhyay (sitar) and Anindo Chaterjee (tabla) in 2008.  Al, who has been teaching guitar since 2005, joined the HAA guitar faculty in 2010.