A-Chording to Cynthia | February 2021 Patron Newsletter (Patreon)

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

Aloha, Patrons!!!

Welcome to February!  Thanks to everyone who tuned in for our Easy Breezy Community Jam on Saturday - you can watch the replay now.  Lenny is visiting Hawaii for a couple of months, so we were able to perform together in person, which was so joyful!  We also had lots of new Patrons join over the weekend - so glad to have you here!  I'd recommend checking out our January Beginner Fingerpicking Bootcamp, which is now available to all Patrons.

The 100 Day Project for 2021 has started with a bang!  It's been a whirlwind of energy - lots of new players who are bravely jumping into the challenge, as well as a sweet reunion of friends who are coming back to do the project again.  If you're interested in joining us, check out this link for more info, read the FAQ, visit the facebook group to post or cheer on the participants, and follow #100DaysUke2021 on Instagram to connect with the community there.

A note about Zoom vs YouTube format

Thank you to all who joined me for January's Zoom experimentation. I received a lot of feedback from folks who enjoyed the community interaction on that platform, and I also received feedback from folks who preferred the classic YouTube lesson.  This month's Live events will return to our more straight-forward YouTube format, and we will save Zoom for more focused interactive events, like Patron-led jams.  I'd also like to host a Patron mini-fest and open mic down the line.  Please comment if you'd be interested in helping with the more interactive events!

If you are looking for Zoom jams, see below for Zoom events led by our Patron Community Managers and other community leaders.  If you are hosting a Zoom event and would like to invite Patrons to join, feel free to post the info in the comments.  You can also message me at the end of the month to be included in the monthly newsletter.

See you online soon!

xo cynthia 🌺

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Special note for new Patrons

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.

If you have questions: Be sure to check out the WelcomeGuide/FAQ post.  Please be patient as you get familiar with the Patreon platform.  I promise it will get easier to use if you take time to look around.

To find a specific song or lesson, learn to use the updated Cynthia Lin Song Index.  Thank you to the Community Managers for creating and maintaining this helpful resource.

If you have more 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 love sharing their uke experience. 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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FEBRUARY 2021 PATRON EVENTS CALENDAR

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

• Thurs 2/4 @ 5:30PM Pacific Time - Beginner Live Jam ($10+ Patrons) - working on rock/funk strum on "Watermelon Sugar"
• Thurs 2/11 Patron Monthly Live Lesson ($5+ Patrons) - a love song for Valentine's Day: "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You"
• Thurs 2/18 @ 5:30PM Pacific Time - Intermediate Live Jam ($20+ Patrons) - Bossanova lesson (which I'm working on in my 100 Day project!)
• Sat 2/27 @ 2pm Pacific Time - CL x Ukulenny Monthly Community Jam (public on YouTube) - our annual Beatles Jam!!  gotta get those harmonies in while Lenny's in town :)

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.

Remember, you can now 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 2/9 @ 6-7PM Eastern Time -- 2nd Tuesdays Zoom Play-Along Jam with NYC Squad leader Jenny - more info via FB Event. 
• Mon 2/15 @ 6-7:30PM Pacific Time -- 3rd Monday Open Mic hosted by Ukulenny. RSVP and more information on Facebook.
• Tues 2/16 @ 6-7PM GMT -- 3rd Tuesdays "GMT Jam" at a UK/Europe-friendly time, with NYC Squad leader Jenny - more info via FB Event.
• Tues 2/23 @ 7:30PM Central -- The Better Haves February Uke Jam hosted by Community Manager Leah - more info via FB Event.

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January 2021 Recap - News, Patron Events and new Videos:

• For our Beginner Live Jam ($10+ Patrons), we had a Patron-led Zoom Jam, and I reviewed the chucking strum on "The Lion Sleeps Tonight."  The "Lion Sleeps" Flash Mob has been postponed for now - I'll have more bandwidth once the 100 Day Project gets a little further along.
• The Patron Monthly Live Lesson ($5+ Patrons, now available to all) was a Beginner Fingerpicking Bootcamp.
• For the Intermediate Live Jam ($20+ Patrons), I built on our Fingerpicking Bootcamp with more advanced techniques.
• The January CL x Ukulenny Community Jam saw us playing "Easy Breezy" ukulele songs with 4 chords or less (public post).
• I shared a "Dream a Little Dream of Me" play-along video featuring a performance from my weekly 5@5InstagramLiveShow.
• I created a fingerpicking play-along for the song "White Sandy Beach." 
• I posted my "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" collab with the Kratzke Sisters on my YouTube channel. We created this as part of their 100 Day Project from 2020.
• Speaking of #100DaysUke2021, I also created a story video about how the 100 Day Project changed my life, and why you might want to do the project too! 
• My most recent play-along video posted to YouTube features "New Day," an original song I am happy to share with all of you. The performance is another live recording from my 5@5 show on Instagram.
• 100 Days of Ukulele started on January 31, 2021! Are you playing along? 

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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