A-Chording to Cynthia | December 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!

Happy December, and what a year it's been.  During this festive season, I'm reflecting on our very human need for togetherness, community, and sharing of songs and joy.  We have two special live events this month, along with our regular Patreon events - I hope you'll be able to join us for some virtual jamming and celebration.  

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. I always like to give a 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).

December theme: Holiday Cheer in Full Gear!

Remember that the deadline for submitting a video to my "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" Flash Mob video is tomorrow, December 3 (although if you really need another day or two, that would be ok 😊). Get all the details in this post.  It's been so fun to see all the submissions so far, thank you!

Special Livestream Holiday events - full details will come in a separate post, but wanted to give you some info here first.

• 12/5 Holiday Strum-Along, with Ukulenny - going live on YouTube at 2pm Pacific, click here for video link.  In this beginner-friendly livestream, we'll be playing songs from the updated Beginner Holiday Songbook, which I've attached to the bottom of this post so you can get some practice in.  The updated Songbook has 2 Hanukkah songs added, as well as links to available play-along videos.  (Please note that some videos are not available yet - the links are temporary placeholders for videos to come).  You can also go to my new-ish site ukulele101.com and visit the Holiday Songbook link for practice videos.
• 12/12 Holiday Aloha Concert, with Ukulenny, Craig Chee & Sarah Maisel - going live on YouTube at 2pm Pacific, click here for video link.  Excited to perform with Craig and Sarah in real life (they just moved to Honolulu!), and Lenny will beam in via internet magic, as he always does.  We'll also feature special performances, giveaways, and island-style holiday cheer (and treats)!

In our Beginner Live Jam tomorrow, I'll teach "All I Want for Christmas is You" by Mariah Carey (here's a link to my ukulele version with my band), and we'll review songs from the updated Beginner Holiday Songbook in preparation for the Holiday Strum-Along.

For our All-Levels Live Lesson next week, I'll teach "Happy Xmas (War is Over)" by John Lennon.  I'm working on a new all-levels arrangement that I think will be really fun to play.

For our Intermediate Live Jam, I'll teach "Christmas Time is Here" by Vince Guaraldi, as performed by U3.  We'll also meet via Zoom so that we can see and hear each other as we jam songs from the new Intermediate Holiday Songbook.

If you're not a holiday music fan, I totally understand.  Please see these songs as another tool for learning - I find that holiday songs are great for teaching ukulele because the melodies and lyrics are so familiar to people across the world.  I hope you'll still join us for the camaraderie and good cheer.

Thank you for reading, and sending you warm aloha!

xo cynthia 🌺

***

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.

Updated CL Song Index

The Community Managers and I have recently updated the layout of the Cynthia Lin Song Index! I hope you'll find it even easier to navigate. Keep your feedback coming on how we can best help you find what you're looking for on Patreon. Read more about how to use the Song Index in this FAQ post. 

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

***

DECEMBER 2020 PATRON EVENTS CALENDAR

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

• Thurs 12/3 @ 5:30PM Pacific Time - Beginner Live Jam ($10+ Patrons) - playing from the Beginner Holiday Songbook
• Sat 12/5 @ 2PM Pacific Time - Monthly CL x Ukulenny Community Livestream - Holiday Strum Party (public on YouTube)
• Thurs 12/10 @ 5:30PM Pacific Time - Patron Monthly Live Lesson ($5+ Patrons)
• Sat 12/12 @ 2PM Pacific Time - Cynthia's 2020 Holiday Aloha Concert (public on YouTube)
• Thurs 12/17 @ 5:30PM Pacific Time - Intermediate Live Jam ($20+ Patrons) - Zoom jam

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

***

*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 12/8 @ 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 12/21 @ 6-7:30PM Pacific Time -- 3rd Monday Open Mic Hosted by Ukulenny. RSVP and more information on Facebook. 

***

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

• For our Beginner Live Jam ($10+ Patrons), we jammed on my Beginner Holiday Songbook and I taught "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree." 
• The Patron Monthly Live Lesson ($5+ Patrons) song saw us playing "Imagine" in three different keys. That post is now available to all Patrons. 
• For the Intermediate Live Jam ($20+ Patrons), we jammed on the new Intermediate Holiday Songbook.
• Back in October, our CL x Ukulenny Livestream for the month was a Zombie Prom on Halloween. In November, that video was blocked, so we cut a few songs from the replay, in an attempt to clear the copyright issues, and it is currently re-posted here. 
• Our November CL x Ukulenny Livestream was rescheduled for December 5 so that for folks will be in the mood for Holiday songs.
• I shared the latest episodes (Ep 10-12) 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 to share festive videos for a "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree Flash Mob!" The deadline to submit is December 3rd. Read all the details in this post. 

---

COMMUNITY NOTES:

1. Join our private Facebook group (email patronhelp@cynthialin.com with your Facebook email address) for lots of activity -- share videos, advice, 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 (and updated recently!) 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