James "Ike" Minton is a composer and oboist from Du Quoin, Illinois, serving as Du Quoin High School's Band Director since 2024, and Du Quoin "Swimming Indians" Head Coach since 2022. He holds a Master of Music in Music Theory and Composition from the University of Hawai'i in Manoa, Hawai'i, and a Bachelor of Music in Music Theory and Composition from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois.

Mr. Minton came home in the midst of postgraduate studies and assistantship at the University of California Santa Cruz, where he created a new course, MUS81A "Survey of Rap and Hip-Hop Music". Mr. Minton taught over 400 students in 5 semesters and presented material at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in 2019. He also assisted in the instruction of collegiate bands and orchestras, and was a member of the UCSC Wind Ensemble.

As a composer, Mr. Minton has had original work performed by the Los Angeles-based "wasteLAnd," the San Francisco-based "The Wild Rumpus" and "sfSound," and at the Center 4 New Music. Mr. Minton's pieces performed by collegiate ensembles include Event Horizon (2014) by the University of California Santa Cruz Wind Ensemble, and Graffiti (2007) at Southern Illinois University. 

Mr. Minton lives in Du Quoin, Illinois with family.