Aleif Hamdan
About
Aleif Hamdan is a guitarist/composer from Indonesia and Malaysia. Growing up in South East Asia, Aleif was exposed to a wide variety of music, contributing to a diverse and eclectic palette of taste. Aleif moved to Kuala Lumpur in 2010 to pursue studies at the International College of Music, and eventually earned a reputation in the national music scene after winning several competitions and awards. In 2012, he moved to the States after receiving the Berklee Achievement Scholarship to further explore new pathways in music. Here he gained further recognition as a musician, performing at major venues across the U.S. such as the U.N. General Assembly Hall, Boston Symphony Hall, and the Kennedy Center. He has been fortunate to have worked on projects involving major-label award-winning artists such as A.R. Rahman, Jesse Colin Young, Antonio Sanchez, and Michael League, amongst many others. After graduating from Berklee with Summa Cum Laude distinction, Aleif has worked his way to becoming an in-demand session player; performing and arranging on a wide variety of projects with several globally renowned artists.
I truly enjoy seeing growth and excitement in students - transferring knowledge is an art in itself, and I place a high priority on making the learning process an enjoyable and efficient one. With new students, I start by asking them what they're looking for - this could be extremely general or it could be very specific - from then on, I think about how to deliver the information in a personalized way that would foster a genuine feeling of inspiration and motivation. Therefore, I tend to not place a high priority on giving mandatory assignments and deadlines (though if a student is looking for that then I'm alright with doing that!). From what I've observed in my past few years of freelance teaching, I've become a firm believer in the idea that if a student truly finds enjoyment in the feeling of growth, then they develop a genuine desire to increase their awareness of the music that interests them. With this, the journey to certain traits like 'discovering your own voice', being able to improvise, or developing good technique, becomes a heartfelt and honest one - it's all about cherishing the process. (and the process never ends!)
- Berklee College of Music '15 - Bachelor's Dual Degree in Performance & Professional Music (Jazz Comp/Arranging concentrate)
- Guitarist for Jesse Colin Young (of The Youngbloods fame) (2017 - 2019)
- Guitarist for A.R. Rahman (2016, 2018)
- 'Best of 2016' UK Vibe Magazine for debut album "Emblem"