Mt. Hope Band Wows Crowd at the Big E

More than 100 members of the band, flag and dance squads showed up at the Big E on Tuesday to perform in the Rhode Island Day parade.

Though senior Drum Majors John Hunt and Kayla McConaghy have traveled to the Big E with the school in years past, every year is a new, exciting experience.

"This year was a new experience for us because we were actually leading the band," McConaghy said. "We were flailing our arms around conducting this time instead of just playing."

Hunt concurred, noting that walking backwards in the mile long parade was the biggest change and the hardest part of this trip.

"Walking backwards on your toes just isn't natural," he said laughing.

The two band leaders said they get a sense of pride watching all of the band, flag and dance squad's hard work in action at an event like the Big E. 

"This is just our first show of the year, like our warm up," McConaghy said. "But we have a lot of really good freshmen this year. I think it went really well."

"It's amazing to hear the music come together," Hunt added. "And it feels really good when the people who are watching are shouting because they want to hear us play."