Pictured: Evan Covas (left) and Justin Burns (right)
Evan Covas and Justin Burns were back-to-back drum majors at Norphlet High School, and they now share the ranks leading the Mulerider Marching Band at Southern Arkansas University.
The duo will lead the SAU band on the field for a halftime performance in front many nearby hometown friends and family in El Dorado on October 17 at the Murphy USA Classic, which will pit the Muleriders against the Ouachita Baptist Tigers.
Covas, a fourth-generation Mulerider, has SAU in his DNA and is seemingly a living testament the Mulerider Athletics hashtag “#webleedblue.” His great-grandmother earned her teaching degree from Southern State in 1961, and retired after many years of service from the Norphlet School District. His grandmother and mother also attended SAU. His older sister, Caylie Covas, graduated with a degree in marketing in 2012.
Burns, on the other hand, began his college career at another institution. After a year, he realized it was not the right place and a call to Covas helped lead him to Magnolia.
“Evan encouraged me to come to SAU, and it has been a terrific experience,” said Burns. “The music directors are great at SAU.”
Burns said their Norphlet High School music director, Jennifer Michaels, also thought SAU would be a good option for him. He and Covas both sang the praises of their high school mentor.
“She is one of the most influential people in my life,” said Covas of Michaels. “I am four years out of high school and I can still call her up anytime.”
It is the same caring attitude of the musical directors at SAU that both Covas and Burns appreciate most about their college experiences. They said they can go to any of the music professors at SAU with any questions or concerns.
“The music professors at SAU are so caring and involved in our path of success from freshman to senior years,” said Covas.
Burns and Covas both plan to continue on similar paths after college and become passionate musical directors themselves. Covas, a senior, will student teach in the fall and graduate in December, 2016. He said he hopes to stay in South Arkansas and be a high school musical director. Burns, a junior, might end up in more of a metropolitan area and envisions himself as a professor of low brass one day.
The SAU Mulerider Marching Band brings a tremendous amount of spirit and entertainment to the Muleriders’ game-day atmosphere. This year’s halftime show is a mash up of classic rock and classical music. Each section of the band is in the spotlight throughout the show. The Mulerider Marching Band consists of students from all academic disciplines, and they come to SAU from across the Ark-La-Tex.
The band is frequently featured as an exhibition band at high school marching contests in Arkansas and Texas. The band and scholarships are open to any student regardless of major. The band consists of approximately 120 students per year, up from only 72 students in 2000. The band faculty includes Director of Bands J.P. Wilson, Assistant Director of Bands Sarah Mickey, Director of Percussion Michael Britt, and Professor of Trumpet and Horn Buddy Deese.
To find out more about the SAU Band, visit www.saumag.edu/band.
