As told by Into Hymn founders, Kerri Pritchard and Christy Hartford.
In the Fall of 1999, we ended up in the same Cognitive Psychology class. After catching up on what had been going on for the past two years, we both realized how much we missed singing. We thought it would be fun to get together a bunch of girls to sing praise songs and try out some harmonies. One idea led to another and the next thing we knew- we were forming a girls’ Christian a cappella group!! Although we had been in high school show choir together and Kerri had had a little bit of piano background, neither one of us knew anything about directing or arranging music.
Around mid-October, we decided to take one month simply to research the logistics of forming an a cappella group. We stumbled upon a web-based association of collegiate Christian a cappella groups and emailed a list-serve of directors. The response was amazing!!! Within days of sending the mass email, I was receiving emails from all over the country from directors giving us advice, step-by-step instructions for setting up auditions, and some even sent free sheet music! We had no doubt that God was completely in control of this entire endeavor.
By November, we were ready to plan auditions. We put up flyers around campus and decided that we would have a two-round audition. We drew about 30 girls, which was exciting for a brand new group. On the first night, each girl would come in one at a time, sing some scales, and sing an excerpt from a prepared song. After the first night, we made a cut and invited a smaller number of girls for the second round. The second night included an interview to get to know the girls more personally. By the end, we had 14 girls (although only 12 would become members) and we were ready to start an a cappella group!
Our first semester as a group was amazing. We started learning some songs and sang at various events including: Baptist Student Union, Vineyard Cafe, Logan Hall, InterVarsity, Penn State, and UVA and numerous churches. By the end of the year, our repertoire consisted of Lead of Love by Caedmon’s Call, Healing Waters by Michelle Tumes, and I Stand in Awe.
The first year was more than we could have ever dreamed of and we know that God will continue to do amazing things with the ladies of Into Hymn.
In the Fall of 1999, we ended up in the same Cognitive Psychology class. After catching up on what had been going on for the past two years, we both realized how much we missed singing. We thought it would be fun to get together a bunch of girls to sing praise songs and try out some harmonies. One idea led to another and the next thing we knew- we were forming a girls’ Christian a cappella group!! Although we had been in high school show choir together and Kerri had had a little bit of piano background, neither one of us knew anything about directing or arranging music.
Around mid-October, we decided to take one month simply to research the logistics of forming an a cappella group. We stumbled upon a web-based association of collegiate Christian a cappella groups and emailed a list-serve of directors. The response was amazing!!! Within days of sending the mass email, I was receiving emails from all over the country from directors giving us advice, step-by-step instructions for setting up auditions, and some even sent free sheet music! We had no doubt that God was completely in control of this entire endeavor.
By November, we were ready to plan auditions. We put up flyers around campus and decided that we would have a two-round audition. We drew about 30 girls, which was exciting for a brand new group. On the first night, each girl would come in one at a time, sing some scales, and sing an excerpt from a prepared song. After the first night, we made a cut and invited a smaller number of girls for the second round. The second night included an interview to get to know the girls more personally. By the end, we had 14 girls (although only 12 would become members) and we were ready to start an a cappella group!
Our first semester as a group was amazing. We started learning some songs and sang at various events including: Baptist Student Union, Vineyard Cafe, Logan Hall, InterVarsity, Penn State, and UVA and numerous churches. By the end of the year, our repertoire consisted of Lead of Love by Caedmon’s Call, Healing Waters by Michelle Tumes, and I Stand in Awe.
The first year was more than we could have ever dreamed of and we know that God will continue to do amazing things with the ladies of Into Hymn.