A-Chording to Cynthia | November 2020 Patron Newsletter (Patreon)

{Patron-only post: please click through and heart this post so I know you've seen it, thank you!}

Aloha, Patrons!

As we enter November, the seasons are changing for many of us, and the year is drawing to a close. I hope this month finds you and yours doing well. Here in the US, many are gearing up for Thanksgiving and the winter Holidays. I'm thankful for the opportunity to make music with all of you!

Welcome to all the new Patrons and "Quarantine Newbies" aka "Qukes"!  Please read on below for newbie-specific info, and introduce yourself in the comments.

Thank you to all reading this, new or not, for directly supporting my work and for helping to create a powerful and positive online ukulele community. Shoutout to our Community Managers, Facebook group moderators, and regional Squad leaders who give their time and energy to support our Patron family and the wider ukulele community. Leadership is how a community grows, so if you'd like to lead, go for it. If you're not sure how to start, watch other leaders and imitate, and ask for help. Feel free to comment here or in our private Facebook group (find the link near the end of this post).

November theme: Warming up for the Holidays!

It may seem too early for holiday music, but I personally am ready for some holiday cheer, and I've also got some special holiday song projects planned for the Patrons, so let's start practicing.  For our monthly CL x Ukulenny Community Livestream, an official Patron-sponsored event, we'll gather the Saturday after Thanksgiving for a Holiday Strum Party.  I look forward to gathering with family and friends for a heartwarming sing- and strum-along.

Last month, I invited you to join in a "Zombie Heart" virtual flash mob, and this month we'll do something similiar with "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree."  We'll learn the beginner-friendly version from my Beginner Holiday Songbook for our Beginner Live Jam this Thursday.  For the Intermediate Live Jam, I'm putting together a new Intermediate Holiday Songbook. 

Do you have song suggestions for this month's theme?  Popular songs for the season you've been wanting to learn?  Share in the comments below.

Thank you for reading, and hope to see you online soon!

xo cynthia 🌺

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If you are a new Patron, welcome!  Please introduce yourself in the comments below. Feel free to share how long you've been playing, what kind of uke you play, if you have an uke club to play with, what songs you've been working on, etc.

Please take a look at the WelcomeGuide/FAQ post and please be patient as you get familiar with the Patreon platform. If you have questions about Patreon, I encourage you to post your questions to one of our Community groups (our private Facebook group is particularly active -- email patronhelp@cynthialin.com with your Facebook email address to be added). Our community has tons of friendly folks who can help you faster than I can. Scroll to the Community Notes section at bottom of this post for ways to join and post to our Community. If you have a question that the FAQ doesn't answer, please comment there to help us continue to update the FAQ.

Seasoned Patrons, I always appreciate it when you help me answer any newbie questions in the comments of this or any post. Thank you!

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NOVEMBER 2020 PATRON EVENTS CALENDAR

See all Patron events on our Patron Google calendar (also accessible through our Patron App).

Reminder - please check the timing of events if you've changed your clocks recently for Daylight Savings.

• Thurs 11/5 @ 5:30PM Pacific Time - Beginner Live Jam ($10+ Patrons) - playing from the Beginner Holiday Songbook
• Thurs 11/12 @ 5:30PM Pacific Time - Patron Monthly Live Lesson ($5+ Patrons)
• Thurs 11/19 @ 5:30PM Pacific Time - Intermediate Live Jam ($20+ Patrons) - playing from the new Intermediate Holiday Songbook
• Sat 11/28 @ 3PM Pacific Time - Monthly CL x Ukulenny Community Livestream - Holiday Strum Party (public on YouTube)

Details for all Patrons events will be posted separately.  To edit your pledge level, visit https://www.patreon.com/join/cynthialin and select your desired reward tier.

I also invite you to join me most Wednesdays at 5PM Pacific Time for my 5@5InstagramLiveShow. Follow me @cynthialinmusic to get notified when I go live.

New - get notifications for events on the Cynthia Lin Patron App, created by our Patron Community Manager, Rich! Android app | iOS app

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*New* - Regional Squad events that are open to Patrons

For those who may not have a local uke club gathering, you can join these friendly folks!  If you have a local event that you'd like to invite Patrons to, post below or in our Facebook group.

• Tues 11/10 @ 6-7PM Eastern Time -- 2nd Tuesdays Zoom Play-Along Jam with NYC Squad leader Jenny (NewUkeNewYork) - open to all, more info via FB Event or on her site.
• Mon 11/16 @ 6-7:30PM Pacific Time -- 3rd Monday Open Mic Hosted by Ukulenny. RSVP and more information on Facebook.

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October 2020 Recap - News, Patron Events and new Videos:

• For our Beginner Live Jam ($10+ Patrons), I taught "Hungry Like The Wolf." 
• The Patron Monthly Live Lesson ($5+ Patrons) song was my original, "Zombie Heart." That post is now available to all Patrons. 
• For the August Intermediate Live Jam ($20+ Patrons), I shared the U3 arrangement for "Message in a Bottle." 
• Our CL x Ukulenny Livestream for the month was a Zombie Prom on Halloween (the replay is currently blocked for copyright, but I am working on fixing it  - it was an epic event, will let you know when it's restored!)
• I was honored to be on the cover of the Winter 2020 issue of Ukulele Magazine!
• I shared a 30-minute guided Jaw and Face Massage video from my Voice channel, mindbodyvoice on YouTube.
• I created a new public play-along video for "Hungry Like the Wolf." 
• I shared the latest episodes (Ep 5-9) of my Patreon Creator Chronicles series on Instagram @cynthialinmusic (see my September newsletter for details) and uploaded all the episodes to my new Creator channel on YouTube.
• I invited Patrons and #100DaysofUkuleleSongs participants to share costumed videos for a "Zombie Heart" virtual flash mob! Watch the Zombie Heart Flash Mob video here: https://youtu.be/AvLk0OHJhnE

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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 / the Pacific Northwest / Hawaii and more).  https://www.facebook.com/pg/cynthialinmusic/groups

3. Learn to use the Cynthia Lin Song Index, created and maintained by the amazing CL Community Managers! The super helpful CL Song Index organizes all CL songs, Patreon posts, YouTube videos, and tutorials.

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.

7. To edit your pledge, visit https://www.patreon.com/join/cynthialin