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Mr. Jeremy Atkins
Mr. Atkins has been involved with Denton ISD since 2002. He taught double bass private lessons through DISD until 2006 when he began teaching 5th grade orchestra at Hodge Elementary. Mr. Atkins started as the head director at Ryan High School in 2021. Before this Mr. Atkins served as associate orchestra director at Guyer High School and beginning orchestra teacher at Nelson, W.S.Ryan, Hodge and Providence Elementary schools.
Mr. Atkins grew up in Sydney, Australia where he attended Sutherland Shire Christian School. He started his musical journey with the violin at the age of 4. After many battles on the violin, he switched to cello which he played for 5 years before finally beginning his studies on the double bass under the direction of Neal Brawley. He moved to Denton in 1998 to attend the University of North Texas where he studied bass with Jeff Bradetich. In 2000 he studied with Leonid Finkelshteyn at Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, North Carolina. Mr. Atkins graduated from UNT Magna Cum Laude with his bachelor’s degree in music performance in 2002 and with his master’s degree in music performance in 2004. During his studies at UNT, Mr. Atkins performed with the Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Orchestra. He served as principal bass in the UNT Chamber Orchestra in 2003. He also performed extensively with the UNT Baroque Orchestra on the violone, the 6 string predecessor of the double bass.
Mr. Atkins currently performs as a member of the East Texas Symphony Orchestra. He also has performed regularly with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Opera Orchestra and other orchestras in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. Mr Atkins has been Principal Bass for several concerts with East Texas, Plano and Richardson Symphony orchestras. He spent the summer of 2004 performing at the Sydney Opera House with the Sydney Symphony.
Mr. Atkins currently lives in Denton with his wife Carrie, daughter Emery, son John, and their two dogs Keats and Mona. Although their first daughter Joelle was only with them for 21 months, she brought happiness and smiles wherever she went and they are thankful for the time they spent together. When he has time to himself, he enjoys roasting coffee (using an electric popcorn maker and flour sifter), drinking espresso, watching sports and playing computer games. He also enjoys the outdoors, especially Australian beaches and bushwalks.
Ms. Diana Riley - RHS Associate Orchestra/Mariachi Teacher
Diana Riley is the NEW Associate Orchestra and Mariachi Director at Ryan High School.
Ms. Riley grew up in Laredo, TX and has had passion and appreciation for music since she can remember. From joining her elementary school choir during the third grade, to joining orchestra in the 6th grade on viola and then Mariachi in 7th grade as a violinist, music has always been an integral part of her life. From being a six time All-Region Orchestra member (principal violist 11th-12th grade) and a two-time All-Region Mariachi member, 3-time State Solo and Ensemble qualifier where she received the Outstanding Soloist award at the Texas State Solo and Ensemble event her senior year of high school. Her favorite orchestra event was UIL Concert & Sight-reading as her favorite orchestra memories revolved around teamwork and friendships! She graduated from Dr. Leo G Cigarroa High School in the top 3% of her class and also was a member of the VMT Magnet School of Communications and Fine Arts where she studied the viola under the direction of the late Bobby Compton. Ms. Riley graduated with Magna Cum Laude honors from Texas A&M University - Kingsville with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music with All-Level Teacher Certification in 2020. Ms. Riley has played in many ensembles which include the Kingsville Symphony Orchestra, Laredo Philharmonic Orchestra, Starlight Symphony Orchestra, TAMUK Chamber Orchestra, and Mariachi Javelina.
Ms. Riley taught as both, the assistant and then head orchestra director of Kealing Middle School in Austin, TX from 2020-2026. For the past six years, the program was able to excel at events like All-Region Orchestra where the school hit a record high of 43 members in 2025, UIL Concert and Sight-reading Evaluation where she would take three groups and all would receive superior and excellent ratings, and Solo and Ensemble where multiple students not only received superior ratings but also received best in class awards. She would also take her varsity and non varsity orchestra ensembles to compete at music festivals such as the Bluebonnet Festival, Lonestar Festival and the Bayou Classic where they received outstanding performance awards, superior ratings and the varsity orchestra even received a Best in Festival award in 2024.
Ms. Riley will be beginning her Master’s studies in Music Education and working as a part-time Teaching Assistant at the University of North Texas. She is excited for this opportunity and she is especially thrilled to still be able to teach while continuing with her studies. Although she has considered middle school her home, she is excited to start her high school teaching career. During her personal time, Ms. Riley enjoys lifting weights and running, hiking, listening to music, listening to history podcasts, practicing her viola, and watching thriller movies. She is also an avid Disney fan and her favorite characters of all time are Mickey and Minnie Mouse! She is also fluent in Spanish.
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