Music Faculty

Kevin R. Burke teaches courses in music theory, music literature, and world music. Since arriving at Florida Tech, he has sought new channels for music to interact with the STEM fields. Dr. Burke’s emerging research and teaching interests involve classic video game music, particularly the compositional trends and culture developing around the sound chips for 8- and 16-bit systems. He has presented research on distinct sound drivers for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Sega Genesis, and TurboGrafx 16 at meetings of the North American Conference for Video Game Music and the Ludomusicology Conference and has several forthcoming articles on this initial work. Dr. Burke remains active in the study of music pedagogy, recently serving as the Secretary-Treasurer for the American Musicological Society’s Pedagogy Study Group. An Eli Lilly education grant in 2010 allowed him to pioneer the use of iPads as tools in the music classroom and his work with instructional technology and the “Reacting to the Past” (RTTP) platform appear in Hybrid Pedagogy, Engaging Students, Journal of Music History Pedagogy, and the forthcoming Norton Guide to Teaching Music History. Dr. Burke received a PhD In Musicology from the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music, where his dissertation, "Propagating a National Genre: German Writers on German Opera, 1798-1830," received the Helen T. Ehlers award. He maintains an extensive database of German-language opera reviews from 1798-1830, which he compiled during his Fulbright Fellowship at the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek.

Joe Montelione directs the Jazz Band, Concert Band and Brass Studio. As a commercial artist he has worked with artists such as Billy Joel, Tony Bennett, Charlie Daniels, and Amy Grant, to name a few. As an orchestral musician, he has performed with the Orlando Philharmonic, Florida Orchestra, Opera Tampa, Jacksonville Symphony, Memphis Symphony, Alabama Symphony, Moscow State Radio Symphony, Bayreuth Festival Orchestra, Washington Symphony Orchestra, and the Irish Tenors. Dr. Montelione has been seen on Broadway for the shows “A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum” starring Nathan Lane, “Victor/Victoria” starring Julie Andrews, “The King and I” starring Lou Diamond Phillips and “Big: The Musical.” He was a semi-finalist and only American conductor in the Concours International pour Jeunes Chefs d’orchestres in Chenove, France and has conducted the Memphis Chamber Players, New Ballet Ensemble, West Point Military Academy Band, Falls Church Orchestra, University of Southern California Chamber Winds, USC Brass Choir, USC Trumpet Ensemble, Jacksonville Civic Orchestra and the Capistrano Performing Arts Center Orchestra. He performs nationwide with “Concert with Words”, a concert experience that blends instrumental music and spoken word. During the summer, he is an artist faculty member for Music Academy International’s Trentino Music Festival in Primiero, Italy.

Eliza Dopira directs the Concert Choir, String Orchestra, and Chamber Acapella groups and teaches applied voice lessons. She has been teaching at Florida Tech since 2010 and has been involved in the growth of the Music Program since its infancy. Mrs. Dopira has brought new musical connections to campus by way of partnering with other colleges and local musical groups. Community outreach has been one of her top priorities, regularly bringing ensembles to assisted living facilities, community events, and on-campus appearances.

Mrs. Dopira performs as a soloist regularly in Central Florida, with repertoire ranging from Opera, to Jazz and Baroque. She encourages students to attend local concerts with the Brevard Symphony, Space Coast Symphony, and at the Henegar Center and hosts the Music Program party at the end of every semester. Mrs. Dopira holds a BM in Vocal Performance from Florida State University, and both a MM in Vocal Performance and a Graduate Performance Diploma in Opera Performance from the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University. She is an active member of the Florida Music Educators Association, Florida Vocal Association, National Association of Teachers of Singing (Southeastern and Central Florida chapters), and is a board member for the Brevard Symphony Orchestra South Guild.

Winston E. Scott instructs Advanced Jazz Techniques and directs the Jazz Syndicate combo. He holds a BA in Music, an MS in Aeronautical Engineering, and has been awarded honorary doctorate degrees from Florida Atlantic University and Michigan State University. Capt. Scott earned his Florida Music Education Teaching Certificate and was inducted into the Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia (professional music) Fraternity, from whom he was awarded Signature Sinfonian honors. He was minister of music for First Baptist Church of Pacific Grove, CA (1978-1980). The American Bandmaster’s Association presented Capt. Scott with the Edwin Franko Goldman award, which goes to an individual outside of the bandmasters organization, for rendering conspicuous service in the interest of bands and band music in America. He has appeared as a guest lecturer and performer with jazz artist Christian Tambur and is featured on recordings released by Grammy winner Betty Wright, singer and composer Shyrl ‘Tandy’ Johnson, and blues singer Billy Lee. Capt. Scott continues to compose, arrange, and perform with local ensembles, including the Winston Scott Cosmic Jazz Ensemble, and has appeared as a guest conductor and soloist with the Stetson University Wind Ensemble, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Municipal Band, Space Coast Jazz Society, and Boston Brass. His book Reflections from Earth Orbit was published in 2005.

Mariana Garciagodoy instructs group piano and music literature courses at Florida Tech and is also the music director at Riviera United Church of Christ in Palm Bay. Before arriving to the Space Coast, she directed the Junior Group of the Sound Company Oak Ridge Children’s Performing Choir, where she prepared children for performances with the Knoxville Opera. Ms. Garciagodoy holds a MM in Choral Conducting from the University of Tennessee and a BA in Music from Lake Forest College in Illinois.

Dana Beattie has directed the String Chamber Ensemble and taught applied high strings at Florida Tech since the Fall of 2013. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education and a Performer's Certificate in Violin and Viola from the University of Florida. Along with her duties at Florida Tech, she maintains a full private string studio, teaching ages 4-18. Professionally, Ms. Beattie has been a contracted member of the Brevard Symphony Orchestra since 2006. She frequently substitutes with Orlando Philharmonic and has been a part of the Candlelight Processional at Disney's EPCOT every year since 2008. Outside of the classical world, Ms. Beattie has toured extensively throughout Florida and the Southeast with Broadway and rock acts like Bernadette Peters, Bebe Neuwirth, Anne Murray, Dennis DeYoung, Mannheim Steamroller, Johnny Mathis, Seal, Kelly Clarkson, Rod Stewart, Cirque du Soleil, David Foster, Keith Urban, and Sting.

Pervin Muradov instructs applied piano at Florida Tech and maintains a private piano studio in Melbourne. She holds a master’s degree in Piano Education and Performance from the Azerbaijan State Conservatory, Baku (former USSR). In addition to her piano studio, Mrs. Muradov has worked as a Russian language and music teacher at Tropical Elementary School in Merritt Island and Suntree Elementary School in Melbourne. She founded and directs “Music Education and Autism” and, together with the Brooklyn Music Teacher Guild (NY), is raising funds to give children with autism the opportunity to perform in venues like Carnegie Hall in NYC. Mrs. Muradov’s students have won the Space Coast Pops Young Artist competition, the Florida State Competition, and the Brevard’s Got Talent competition and she has participated in various international music festivals and master classes in Germany, Italy, Spain and Russia. Mrs. Muradov is an organizer of the international music competition “Florida Keys” for young talents (www.floridakeycompetition.com), is listed in “Who’s Who of American Women” (21st Edition), is a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music (NCTTM), and is an active member of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) and the Brevard Music Teachers Association (BMTA).

Erik Cole teaches applied woodwinds at Florida Tech and also serves as an adjunct faculty member for the music departments of UCF and Rollins College, in addition to maintaining a private woodwind studio. He received his BM in Music Performance from Butler University (Indianapolis, IN) and his MM in Woodwind Doubling from the prestigious Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester. Mr. Cole has held the position of Second Clarinet with the Brevard Symphony Orchestra since 2005. As an active freelance musician throughout the central Florida area, he often performs at Walt Disney World, Broadway Orlando, and other theaters in the Orlando area.

Chuck Van Riper teaches the Beginning and Intermediate Group Guitar classes at Florida Tech. He has played and studied guitar since 1966 and has shared the stage with some of the most prominent musicians in the world. His music is archived and can be heard frequently on WFIT (89.5 FM). Both guitar classes create an enjoyable atmosphere for learning, with the beginning class focusing on fingerpicking styles and the intermediate class with strumming, chords, and scales.

Brian Tarquin teaches courses in Audio Recording and Production at Florida Tech. He is an Emmy Award wining composer and guitarist and can be heard as the host of “Guitar Trax” on WFIT (89.5 FM). Mr. Tarquin is a seasoned veteran of the music industry, with credits ranging from ABC’s All My Children to MTV’s Road Rules, four studio albums, and his BHP MUSIC record label that has released the Guitar Master Series featuring guitar legends like Jeff Beck, BB King, Santana, Jimmy Page, Joe Satriani, Zakk Wylde, Stanley Clarke, Billy Sheehan and others. His book Recording Techniques of the Guitar Masters is published by Cengage and his books Insiders Guide to Music Licensing and Guitar Encyclopedia are published by Allworth Press.

School of Arts and Communication