Meet the Directors
Kaitlyn Rian
Eagleville, Prairie View, Rolling Hills,
& Section Elementary Schools
5th Grade Band
6th Grade Band
Blue2 Winds
MHS Marching Band
Ms. Kaitlyn Rian is a 5th and 6th grade band teacher in the Mukwonago Area School District. She also works closely with the Mukwonago High School Bands, serving as a brass specialist with their Marching Band and Blue2 Winds chamber music program. Ms. Rian is an instructor for the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra’s Prelude Wind Ensemble, a group of advanced 5th and 6th grade wind and percussion students who live in the city of Milwaukee. An active trumpet teacher and performer, Ms. Rian maintains a full studio of private students from the Milwaukee and Waukesha areas and performs regularly in Southern Wisconsin. During the Summer of 2024, she will travel to Hawaii as an instructor with the Wisconsin Junior All Stars of Music Band, a group of the best middle school band students in the state.
Ms. Rian earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she graduated with scholastic distinction in May of 2022. During her time at UW, she performed with the University Symphony Orchestra, Wind Ensemble and several different brass chamber ensembles. Having been coached weekly by members of the Wisconsin Brass Quintet during her collegiate career, Ms. Rian has extensive brass chamber music knowledge and performance experience. She is a member of the National Association for Music Education, and she served on the board for UW-Madison’s collegiate chapter from 2020-2022.
Prior to starting her career as an educator, Ms. Rian performed at the International Trumpet Guild Conference with the UW-Madison Trumpet Ensemble in 2019, and was a 2020 quarterfinalist and 2021 semifinalist in the National Trumpet Competition with the same group. She was a 2020 semi-finalist in the Next Generation Trumpet Competition and recipient of numerous scholarships and awards from the Mead-Witter School of Music. Other performance credits include a tour of South America with the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra in 2017.
Her primary teachers include Professor Thomas L. Dvorak, Professor Jean Laurenz and Dr. Corey Pompey.
Ben Warrichaiet
Clarendon & Big Bend Elementary Schools
5th Grade Band
6th Grade Band
Mr. Warrichaiet has been teaching in Mukwonago since August of 2015. He studied Instrumental and General Music Education at the University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire. While at UW-Eau Claire he performed and toured with the Wind Symphony which premiered and recorded new band works. He also performed with the 300+ member Blugold Marching Band. With the marching band he toured all across the country to NFL stadiums and the world providing leadership as a section leader. His experiences with the Jazz bands, saxophone quartet, and marching band all influence his teaching today. Warrichaiet teaches band and general music at Clarendon Avenue Elementary. He also teaches band lessons at Big Bend Elementary and marching band at MHS. He is an active performer with the Palmyra Eagle Community Band and actively seeks out other performing opportunities. He is a member of Wisconsin School Music Association, the National Association for Music Education, and is Clarendon’s boys basketball coach.