Harmonized singing without instruments may conjure up images of Boyz II Men and barbershop quartets, but for the girls of Pitchforks, it's a great for-fun activity.
Pitchforks is the only all-girls a cappella group at ASU, said music director Angie Proctor, a music education sophomore. Their first concert of the semester will be held Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Architecture Building, Room 60.
"We do our own arrangements of songs, and learn everything by ear, and we do everything from rock oldies from the 50's to the latest radio hit," Proctor said. "We've done a mix of everything: Lauryn Hill, The Beatles, Cranberries and Smashing Pumpkins."
"A cappella" is derived from the Italian phrase "in the style of the chapel" and has been around as a singing style for thousands of years, but has gained popularity on college campuses in recent years, according to a report by CBS News in January.
Collegiate a cappella groups got their start at Yale University in 1909 with the now-famous all-men's chorus, the Whiffenpoofs.
Today, over 1,000 a cappella groups are at colleges across the United States, according to the Collegiate-Acappella online directory. Groups are all-girls, all-boys or co-ed and attract both serious singers and fun-loving crooners.
Pitchforks formed at ASU in 1986.
Proctor, who joined the group four years ago, said that while most choirs at ASU are very organized and hard to get into, Pitchforks is geared toward the singer who just wants to enjoy the music they sing and isn't looking to further his or her career in music.
"Pitchforks is by choice -- there aren't any dues and no class credit -- so it's just us getting together and doing what we love: to sing," she said.
Pitchforks membership has varied between 11 and 14 members, Proctor said. Now the group has 12 members, which she said is ideal for performing four-part harmonies.
"Auditions are held only when we need them; experience helps, but we look more for either a girl with a wide vocal range or a specific voice we're missing," she added.
Kimberly Lerdall, pitchforks president and broadcast journalism sophomore, said she always has been interested in traditional choirs.
"In Pitchforks, we all hang out outside of practice, and you tend to make more personal relationships -- it's a great time based on music, which we all love," she said.
Reach the reporter at annemarie.moody@asu.edu.
