When she finished 5th grade at Honey Creek School, Kaitlyn Rian declared she wanted to be a math teacher, just like her mom. Ms. Rian did go into teaching — but music is her calling.   

The turning point came after she enrolled at Reagan College Preparatory High School in Milwaukee Public Schools. 

As a student at Reagan, “I really fell in love with the music department, fell in love with my teachers, my friends,” Ms. Rian said. Her music participation ramped up outside of school, too, at the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra, the American Legion Band, and elsewhere.  

"My experiences at Reagan in the full IB Diploma Programme and just being part of this community were transformative in my life. I loved it so much that I’ve now chosen to spend my professional career here,” said Ms. Rian, who is in her second year at Reagan as band, percussion, and International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme teacher. The Diploma Programme, for IB students ages 16 to 19, is intended to broaden and deepen students' knowledge and help prepare them for the rigors of college. 

“I never considered a career path outside of education; education runs in my family,” she said. In addition to her mother teaching math in MPS, her father is a principal in MPS.  

“I am fortunate to have over 200 students,” Ms. Rian said, and “teaching them is just the greatest joy of my life. They bring me so much joy. I believe that they are capable of so much. As an educator, I feel a huge responsibility to ensure that they are having their needs met and they are getting what they need from me as their music teacher.”  

Between music classes and the extracurricular activities Ms. Rian leads, “I see a lot of these kids very often,” she said. That includes a college-level International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme music class, the new extracurricular marching band, the competition drumline, and a jazz band.  

Prioritizing creative expression

She makes it a priority to let students express their creativity; drumline students, for example, develop many of the movements for their performances.  

“I want to make sure that they have the space to share their ideas and come up with different things on their own, so they can all feel responsible for their learning,” Ms. Rian said.  

As a Reagan alum, she connects with her students over their shared experiences, like commiserating over the 4,000-word extended essay required of full Diploma Programme students while also reveling in the rigor and the dedication an assignment like that requires. 

“Being able to teach in the band room that was transformative for me as a child only makes it easier for me to connect with these students who I love so much and who really just deserve the most opportunities possible,” Ms. Rian said. 

Some of those opportunities come with MPS's vast array of partnerships with local organizations. For music students, that can mean the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, the Florentine Opera, Present Music, the Milwaukee Jazz Institute, the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, and even the Milwaukee Brewers (Reagan students played for the home opener in 2025). 

"Those organizations are looking for talented, bright, excited MPS students to take advantage of their programming, and to come into our schools and share that with us,” Ms. Rian said. 

With voters approving the 2020 and 2024 referenda, which support music and other specialties, “music has just grown exponentially in this district,” Ms. Rian noted. 

Teaching elsewhere before joining MPS gave her perspective. “I can really say that being a student in MPS offers so many opportunities,” with programs such as International Baccalaureate, skilled trades, arts, and more. “There is just such a robust number of programs throughout this city, and there’s really something for every student among all of the high schools” in Milwaukee Public Schools, Ms. Rian said.  

When Kaitlyn Rian was herself an MPS student musician, the all-city Battle of the Drumlines was her favorite event. How sweet, then, to return as a music teacher and win the annual battle in December 2025 with Reagan’s varsity drumline. 

Next, Ms. Rian is looking ahead to the districtwide Biennial Music Festival, on May 6 and 7, 2026, at UWM Panther Arena. The free concerts begin at 6:30 p.m. both days at the arena, at 400 W. Kilbourn Avenue.  

“That will just be a really rewarding and memorable night for our students. It certainly was for me, as a student participating in that Biennial Music Festival,” she said.