Instructors

Trumpeter and flugelhornist Anthony Fazio, a native of Staten Island, NY, is a two time Rutgers University graduate with a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Jazz Performance. There he studied under the tutelage of Joe Magnarelli, Joe Mosello, Conrad Herwig, and Ralph Bowen. Anthony currently plays lead trumpet for the Grammy Award-winning Charles Mingus Big Band, where he has performed regularly in New York, toured internationally, and recorded on the Grammy nominated album “The Centennial Sessions”.

He also performs with NBC’s Saturday Night Live house band, Roy Hargrove Big Band and previously for the Captain Black Big Band, Cab Calloway Big Band, and subbed on the Broadway show "Prince of Broadway.” He has performed internationally at venues such as the North Sea, Vittoria, Umbria, and the Alhambra jazz festivals, as well as The Kennedy Center Jazz Club in Washington, D.C. He performs regularly at NYC jazz clubs such as DROM, The Django, Blue Note, Birdland, The Jazz Gallery, Jazz Standard and Smoke Jazz Club.

In addition to his performance career, Anthony is a dedicated educator. He currently subs at Rutgers University and locally on Staten Island teaching his craft to students of all levels. Anthony's desire and passion to spread his knowledge of trumpet playing inspired him to write his first book, Get A Grip- A Mental and Physical Approach to Playing Trumpet.

Luca Bertaglia

Luca Bertaglia is a professional drummer, educator, composer, arranger, session drummer, and bandleader currently based in New York City. After being part of the professional music scene in Italy, having international experiences, and winning multiple awards for his work (1st place at the national FestivalShow, one of the top ten finalists at the National Pearl Project 108), he moved to New York City in December 2013 where he was admitted with a scholarship at The Collective School of Music first, and later on, to The New School of Jazz and Contemporary Music, studying with the most revolutionary and prestigious musicians in today’s scene, such as Eric Harland, Mark Guiliana, Ian Froman, Dennis Chambers, Marko Djordjevic, Tobias Ralph, Chris Coleman, Kim Plainfield, Ari Hoenig, Arthur Hnatek, and Ziv Ravitz, just to name a few.

His passion for teaching and his background in psychology, allowed him to educate students of all ages and levels for over a decade, from private lessons to group classes throughout several organizations. Luca, who specialized in contemporary music, has experiences that include collaborations with projects of any genre. Some of these lead to performances in a few of the most known venues in the city, like Brooklyn Bowl, Nublu, Rocks Off Cruises, Sunnyvale, The Paper Box, Knitting Factory, Mercury Lounge, The Bitter End, and many others, as well as several residencies, such as the one at the Arthouse Hotel for over two years.

The bands with which Luca is part had him featured in several national and international TV and Internet Series, Web Sites, and Radio Stations like “The Affair,” “Darknet,” “CMF,” “Super Channel,” “SHW Radio,” Star FM Radio,” “LNT 900 Sekundes TV,” “LTV,” and “7Gold.” Luca is also part of Rockin’1000, the biggest rock band in the world, with which he had the honor to perform at the MetLife Stadium, as well as the Stadio Artemio Franchi in Florence, in collaboration with Courtney Love. With one of his projects, Luca has been interviewed on “Spectrum News NY1” and the upcoming TV mini-series “(Red) Pawn” will feature three of Luca’s songs, written, arranged, and produced by him.


Mason McDowell

Mason McDowell is an award-winning pianist, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, actor, an alumnus of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop, and a recent graduate of NYU's Graduate Musical Theatre Program. He has over 10 years of experience as a piano instructor and voice teacher, and has both a BFA and MFA in Music Composition. As a pianist, he has a strong background in jazz, classical, and many other contemporary styles. He has performed on stages all over New York both as a soloist, band member, in orchestras, and as a music director. As a singer, he has performed with Grammy-Winner Kirk Franklin, Broadway veterans Lori Wilner (Fiddler on the Roof 2015) and David Lowenstein (On the Town, Seussical), and in his own work as a singer-songwriter. In his capacity as a writer, he has written a full-length musical, released two EPs, as well as one full-length Album, which was Mastered by 7-time Grammy Award winning engineer, Silas Brown. You can listen to Mason’s work on Spotify, iTunes, and Apple Music. He is thrilled to be able to share his love of music through teaching, and is honored to be a part of the talented Victory Music family.

Daniel Erdahl

Daniel Erdahl is a seasoned performer and educator with over 25 years of professional teaching experience. 

Daniel was immersed in a world of music growing up in a family of musicians. During high school Daniel was dual enrolled in Seminole State College, under the mentorship of renowned classical guitar composer Rex Willis. After obtaining an Associate's Degree, he pursued studies at the University of South Florida, delving into everything jazz, and ultimately earned a BA in Music from Florida State University. His time at Florida State University included a focus on commercial music, recording, technology, arranging, and performance, all enhanced by a minor in business that broadened his perspective on life as a musician.

Post-college, Daniel's experiences ranged from working with Parliament Funkadelic in George Clinton's private studio to managing live sound for country artists in Tallahassee like Jake Owen. 

Currently based in New York City, Daniel continues to teach and perform regularly. As a father, Daniel's daughter's love for music inspired him to create music classes for toddlers, demonstrating his commitment to sharing the joy of music with all ages. 

Teaching Philosophy:

When it comes to teaching, my priority is tailoring the lessons to the specific goals of each student. Whether you seek music for fun or have ambitious aspirations, I will provide you with the tools necessary to accomplish your objectives. I believe in teaching through the music that resonates with my students, whether that’s Beyonce, Metallica, Bach, or any other genre. The underlying concepts of music remain the same, and my goal is to ensure that you can play the music you love while also exploring new musical horizons. 

My own diverse musical background enables me to teach different types of guitars, including electric, acoustic, and nylon/fingerstyle. I am proficient in classical guitar, blues, bluegrass, rock, metal, jazz, and country. 

One of my favorite aspects of teaching is witnessing individuals progress from one milestone to the next, it brings me immense joy. I take pride in nurturing new musicians and guiding them through their musical development, as well as helping long-time musicians broaden their horizons. 

If you choose to embark on a musical journey with me, I am committed to guiding you towards your goals, fostering your love for music, and witnessing the growth of your musical abilities.

Nathan Seldin

Nathan Seldin, is a classically-trained baritone with 6 years of conservatory experience. Before starting his journey as a singer, he has been playing piano since he was 9 years old.

Education: He received his Bachelor in Music during the year of 2020 from “Mannes School of Music” and afterwards he decided to further his education at “Manhattan School of Music.” This granted him a Master’s degree in Music during the spring of 2022. Prior to conservatory, Nathan Seldin studied at “Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music, Art, and Performing Arts” where he majored in voice throughout the full 4 years of his high school career.

Performance History: Outside of an academic setting, Nathan is an active singer who performs in a wide variety of different styles. Such styles include Opera, Musical Theater, Jazz, Pop, Rock, etc. He has given many solo concerts, and partaken in full productions such as: “Beauty and the Beast” (the role of Gaston), and “Orpheus in the Underworld”(the roles of Pluto and Mars). In addition to full-length shows and solo concerts, Nathan has also performed for charity events such as “Trident Festival Inc. ‘Save Ukraine’ Fundraising Concert” and in 2019 he was featured as a soloist in the American Debut of “Last Train to Tomorrow” by Carl Davis at Lincoln Center.

Study Abroad: From an extracurricular standpoint, Nathan has repeatedly traveled to Europe to advance his artistry through a combination of Young Artist Programs and Linguistic Studies opportunities. He has toured the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy back in July of 2018 and has given 6 concerts during his stay. Important contributors for his aptitude in Italian and German can be traced back to his initial visits to Verona, Italy and Berlin, Germany. It should be noted that in Germany, he undertook mentorship in Cabaret and the Art of Mono Performance. Conclusively, studying abroad and continuous application led Nathan to develop a fluency in Italian and German. He is also able to speak Russian due to his bilingual upbringing.

Teaching: Paving way into the field of pedagogy, Nathan Seldin has been teaching Voice and Piano privately for 6 years now. He has worked with an extensive range of students of varying skill sets and ages. He is always happy to explore any sort of musical interest that his students may have and is ecstatic to help ameliorate/develop their relationship with it.