[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 104 (Friday, June 17, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E642-E643]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING MELVIN MILES, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. KWEISI MFUME

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 17, 2022

  Mr. MFUME. Madam Speaker, music is not just a passion, but a life's 
calling for some. Mr. Melvin Miles, Jr. is without question a man who 
has walked this life listening to and answering the call of the art of 
music. From his matriculation at Morgan State University in the early 
1970s, Melvin Miles, Jr. was fascinated by all kinds of music and 
musicians. Over the span of the better part of five decades, Mr. Miles 
has been recognized by many as an exceptional cornetist, trumpeter, and 
band leader.
  Since 1973, Melvin has honed his unmatched musical admiration and 
talent to serve as a faculty member at Morgan State University where he 
has taught and mentored students and marching bands alike. In this 
chapter of his life, he has committed himself to the mission of leading 
young people on the path to higher learning and mastering an instrument 
with purpose.
  Madame Speaker, I am pleased today to enter into the Record my 
recognition for a musician, friend, and teacher extraordinaire, Melvin 
Miles, Jr., who is retiring from Morgan State University in Baltimore.
  Melvin first attended Frederick Douglass High School before entering 
Morgan State University and receiving Bachelor of Science and Master of 
Arts degrees in Music Education. He then furthered his art by attending 
The Catholic University of America for doctoral studies, again in Music 
Education. While these institutions and college experiences fine-tuned 
his technique and craft, they also taught him that nothing compared to 
music in terms of uniting a university.
  Upon starting with Morgan State's faculty, Mr. Miles made sure to 
make music a part of every student's college experience. The Symphonic 
Winds, Jazz Ensemble, and the Concert Band brought endless hours of joy 
to students, alumni, and attendees of all walks of life.
  As a teacher, Melvin has been known to demand excellence from those 
he mentored. Still, he maintained a sense of humor that made it nearly 
impossible to not smile when you were around him. Melvin Miles' blend 
of serious and lighthearted mentorship was a winning formula that 
carried his marching bands to the highest of heights. This included him 
guiding his 2019 marching band through the immense pressure of 
performing in the renowned Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York. 
Even with the many eyes and ears that have been fixed on his bands over 
the span of his career, Melvin has never diverged from the down-to-
earth man he is. Ultimately, it is his purely genuine persona paired 
with his accolades that has caused Melvin's unmistakable popularity to 
endure.
  Melvin's love for music, Morgan State, and Maryland is truly 
unmatched. I thank Melvin

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for his friendship and leadership over all these many years and thank 
him as well for all the memories he has given to the university, the 
Historically Black College or University community, and the thousands 
of alumni who will miss him dearly. I have been lucky enough to 
personally call Melvin a friend for the past forty-two years. On behalf 
of all who know him or have heard his sound, we are all grateful that 
Melvin has given the world his song.