Mr. Milton

Standing at the front door of Ebenezer UCC in Burlington, N.C. on April 2, 2022, Gregory Milton looks down the street in preparation to lead the band in their MLK day parade which was held at this date due it being snowed out previously. The parade got shut down half-way through because of a shooting at the local park which was to serve as their final destination.

Gregory Milton sits at his desk in the basement of his Burlington home during a snowy Sunday morning on Jan. 23, 2022, and delivers a sermon virtually to his congregation, the Antioch United Church of Christ, which is in Henderson, N.C. Milton, always being drawn to both teaching and learning, graduated from the Duke University Divinity School in 2018, to become a senior pastor following in the footsteps of both his father and uncle.

Gregory Milton enjoys an early dinner from Longhorn Steakhouse on Jan. 23, 2022, with his wife Tracey in the dining room of their Burlington home after preaching to his congregation. Tracey, the owner of A New Look Salon in Burlington, laughs as she and Gregory share stories about going to rival high schools, Williams and Cummings respectively.

On May 6, 2022, Gregory Milton, the band director for both Broadview Middle School and Cummings High School, leads a class focusing on the chromatic scale in the band room at Broadview Middle School in Burlington, N.C.

Gregory Milton, teaches by examples and plays a piece with a student, Jan. 10, 2022, while he leads a class at Broadview Middle School in Burlington, N.C.

Old and tattered instruments that were used by the Hugh M. Cummings High School band are lined up on their cases in the fine arts building at the high school, which is currently under construction in Burlington, N.C. on Jan. 13, 2022. They were taken to get repaired by Gregory Milton but were deemed beyond repair by the shop. The Cummings High School band still uses taped and dented instruments as well as instruments donated by other high schools in the county including Western Alamance High School.

Gregory Milton embraces a friend and fellow Burlington resident as he leads the band in their MLK day parade in Burlington, N.C., April 2, 2022, which was held at this date due it being snowed out previously.

Gregory Milton attaches the bell to the base of a new sousaphone in the practice room at Broadview Middle School on May 6, 2022. Milton, who received about $60,000 to spend on instruments, ordered lightly used and refurbished instruments from Taylor Music in South Dakota. Milton said, "If the band sounds great on those old raggedy instruments, imagine how good we will sound on these new ones."

Band director Gregory Milton helps a student understand and notate the chromatic scale during a regular class session on May 6, 2022, in the band room at Broadview Middle School in Burlington, N.C. Milton goes around during this time to help all his students, giving them individualized attention and answering all of their questions.

On March 3, 2022, Elisha Lewellyn plays with the rest of the band during the ACC Women's Basketball Tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum. Boston College reached out to the Alamance Burlington School Systems, which Cummings High School is a part of, prior to the tournament asking for a band recommendation to accompany them and whom they would pay all expenses for. Cummings was recommended.

Sweeping the packing peanuts off of the floor in the practice room at Broadview Middle School, Gregory Milton closes the band room alone on May 6, 2022. While his goal of getting new instruments was met, it a never-ending list of what needs to be accomplished to keep a successful band program afloat.