Enter our 2020 Patron Open Mic + Giveaway! (Patreon)

{Patron-only post}

Aloha, Patrons!

I'd like to invite you to participate in our 3rd annual Patron Giveaway.  Submit a video for our Patron Community Open Mic to have a chance to win ukulele-related prizes, including the sweet Enya Nova uke pictured above!

Getting to know our Patron Community

Thanks to all of you for making this community a place of positivity and growth.  I think the Open Mic has been a fun way to get to know more Patrons, especially the ones that donʻt get to tune in for live events.  I hope youʻll consider sharing a video so we can get to know you!

In our first annual Patron giveaway, we got to "meet" a lot of our community by watching Patrons from around the world play "Stand By Me" (which fellow Patron Victor Osaka assembled into our Patron Stand By Me compilation video - thank you Victor!!).  

In our 2nd annual Patron giveaway, even more folks shared videos of themselves playing songs that they learned from my arrangements.  I really enjoyed being able to put faces with names that Iʻve seen in the chat.  Hereʻs the playlist from last yearʻs Open Mic entries - itʻs a great time capsule of where we were last year as a Patron community.

I look forward to seeing and getting to know more of you through your video entries this year!!

How to enter the 2020 Patron Open Mic + Giveaway

Weʻre calling it an Open Mic because it's an opportunity for you to share your uke-playing (maybe for the first time!) and let us get to know you!  Here's the important thing: Don't worry - this is not a contest of your playing ability.  All entries count equally, and winners are chosen at random from all who enter.  My goal is simply to encourage you to share your music, and we will all support you, whatever your playing level!  Open Mics can be scary, but this community is a great place to test out the waters of playing in front of others.  Plus, Iʻve observed that prizes and a deadline are often good incentive to nudge people to finally make that video. :)

Steps to enter:

1. Record a uke video with any Cynthia Lin arrangement - bonus points if you choose a song from one of our 2019 Patron Lessons/Jams (list below).  Please share a song with us, and if you like, introduce yourself and tell us where you're from (or add that in the description). 

• The song choice is up to you - my advice is to choose a song that you enjoy playing, and keeping it simple always makes for a better performance. Remember, you won't be judged on your playing ability, so have fun!  I ask that you play one of my arrangements so that everyone is starting with the same material, and I thought it would be a good review to feature songs that were taught on Patreon this year.  
• You can play alone or with others, such as your uke squad, friends/family, pets, or anyone you like (Bonus points if you can record with another Patron!).  If you can record in a setting that shares where you are in the world, I'd love to see that.  

2. Upload the video to YouTube - Go to YouTube, log in to your account (you may need to create an account), and upload your video.  Here's help on how to upload a video to YouTube.

• Please take note of the privacy settings on your video - if you choose Public, anyone can see it. If you choose Unlisted, then only people who have the link can see it. The video needs to be Public or Unlisted to participate in the Open Mic + Giveaway.  If it's set to Private, then we won't be able to see it.
• NEW - Make sure that your video is not set to "Content made for kids."  Content made for kids cannot be added to the Open Mic playlist or receive comments.  This is a new YouTube feature to protect children.

3. Submit your video - Share your YouTube video link via this 2020 Patron Open Mic Entry Form.  One of the Community Managers will add it to our 2020 Patron Open Mic Playlist.  Only one entry per Patron, thanks!  

• This Playlist is not Public - it's Unlisted, which means you (and others) won't be able to access it without the link.
• Watch videos from other Patrons, and give them some likes and comments to encourage them!

4. UPDATE: Deadline has been extended to Sunday, January 26th, 11:59pm Pacific Time.
And join me for the Giveaway Live Drawing on Friday 1/31 at 3pm Pacific Time!  I'll post details on how to tune in a few days before the drawing.  Only active Patrons are eligible to win.

Tips / FAQ :

- Sometimes uploading directly from a smartphone to YouTube doesn't work.  You may need to transfer the video to a laptop/desktop computer to upload via the YouTube website.

- Post your questions below, or ask in our Facebook group (see below for how to join).

Can't wait to see your entries!

xo cynthia.

***

Review of Songs from 2019 Patreon Lesson/Jams

January
Bohemian Rhapsody Part 1 (all Patrons)

February
Bohemian Rhapsody Part 2 (all Patrons)
Just the Way You Are ($10+)

March
Fire and Rain (all Patrons)
Island Style ($10+)
Shallow  ($20+)

April
Don't Dream It's Over (all Patrons)
Hotel California (all Patrons) *** Please note that there is a copyright block on Hotel California videos, so itʻs better to choose another song for the giveaway.  But you should be able to upload the video to facebook for us to see. :)  

 
May
The Girl from Ipanema (all Patrons)
Purple Rain ($10+)
Wicked Game ($20+)

June
Your Song (all Patrons)
Dreams ($10+)
Kiss ($20+)

July
Tears in Heaven (all Patrons)
Old Town Road ($10+)

August
Homeward Bound (all Patrons)
Wagon Wheel ($10+)
Señorita in Gm ($20+)

September
Wild World (all Patrons)
Señorita in Am ($10+)
Harvest Moon (all Patrons)

October
A Thousand Years - Chord Melody ($20+)
A Thousand Years ($10+)
Killing Me Softly With His Song (all Patrons)

November
Moondance (all Patrons)
Silent Night - Chord Melody ($20+)

December
Big Yellow Taxi (all Patrons)
Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah ($10+)
Maybe I'm Amazed ($20+)

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COMMUNITY NOTES:

1. Join our private Facebook group (email patronhelp@cynthialin.com with your Facebook email address) - lots of activity, sharing videos and advice, and support and encouragement!  If you're not on Facebook, you can post on the Community tab here on Patreon. If you have questions about Patreon or ukulele or otherwise, posting the question to our very helpful and active Community will generate the fastest answer.  

2. More Facebook public groups - we're using Facebook as our community gathering place because it has the best community features.  Find all the CL groups here, including the CL Uke Newbies group and several active regional groups (NYC / LA / Portland / Hawaii and more).  https://www.facebook.com/pg/cynthialinmusic/groups

3. Click for the super helpful CL Song Index of all songs, Patreon posts, and tutorials (thanks to our Community Managers for building and maintaining this!)

4. Download the Cynthia Lin Patron App, created by our Patron Community Manager, Rich! Android app |iOS app 

5. Find all Patron events on our Patron Google Calendar

6. Find answers to many Frequently Asked Questions in our New Patron Guide/FAQ post.