A-Chording to Cynthia | April 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!

April is upon us, and with this month's newsletter I'd like to extend a warm welcome to all of our new Patrons.  New Patrons, please see resources later in this post for help getting started in our community.

Building a Community of Aloha 

Over the course of the pandemic year, I have come to see more clearly the impact that I want to have as a Community leader beyond teaching ukulele.  Through this community, we are bringing together people from all over the world to share music and to walk side by side in our ukulele journeys.  Especially during this tumultuous year, building connections with uke friends across the globe provided a sense of comfort, peace, and hope.  I believe that a more compassionate world can exist, and this community is a living, breathing example of that dream.  Thank you for being here, for lifting each other up, and for extending your knowledge and support and care to each other.   

To sample this outpouring of aloha on a daily basis, I invite you to check out our 100 Days of Ukulele Project on Instagram and/or Facebook.  Every day folks are sharing ukulele videos, posting supportive and encouraging comments, and making steady, incremental progress over the 100 Day challenge.  (Be sure to watch our Day 50  "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" Flash Mob featuring Jake Shimabukuro and 130+ participants from the project!)  If you're curious to see what the project is about, or just want a dose of inspiration, join the Facebook group and check it out.  All are welcome to cheer on the participants, and you can even start the project now, or get mentally prepared for joining next time.  Check out this link for more info, read the FAQ, and follow #100DaysUke2021 on Instagram to connect with the community there.  Congratulations to all the participants for making it to Day 65!  Keep going!!

Want to get involved?  Over the next couple of months, I'll be asking for your input on how we can create more opportunities for community interaction.  Group challenges, app development, chat groups on other platforms, live events, community service - let's explore the possibilities.  If you'd like to get involved, if this community is meaningful to you and you'd like to give back, then step up and we'll get you in the mix.  You can also attend the upcoming regional live events (more about that below) to get a sense of how they're run, and meet some of the community members who lead and attend those events.  If life is busy, no worries - simply by being here, you are supporting the community.   Feel free to comment below if you have an idea for community growth that you want to share now.

Adding Regional Zoom Jams and Open Mics to the Patron calendar

Another product of the pandemic is the expansion of Zoom Open Mics and Jams hosted by our Patron Community Managers and Regional Squad leaders, including events specifically for GMT/UK/Europe and Asia/Australia time zones.  Thanks to the organizers for opening up these events to your fellow Patrons!  In addition to our monthly Patron events, we'll now add these Zoom events to our Patron Google calendar (also accessible through our Patron App).  The Zoom events allow you to connect with a smaller group of uke players - check out the list of events below, and feel free to reach out to the organizer to find out more and introduce yourself.

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.

A Final Community Jam to wrap up our pandemic year

Thanks to everyone who joined us for last week's hilarity-filled Disney-themed Community Jam - get the Songbook and watch the replay here.  Any favorite moments?  Drop them in the comments below! 😂 Shoutout to Ukulenny for making all the animated magic happen!  

Ukulenny and I started livestreaming together in March 2020 when the lockdowns began, and it's been a huge tech journey learning to sync audio together in real time, while also syncing green screen video.  (We are still learning!)  With the world starting to open up (and honestly, it was so nice to play together with Lenny in real life in January and February when he was in Hawaii), I've decided to make this month's Community Jam the last one for our pandemic year.  As a way of closing this chapter, let's look back at the musical highlights of the year.

What songs got you through the pandemic?  Comment below with suggestions for our final Community Jam songlist.  One that comes to mind for me is "Dancing in the Moonlight."  Learning to create green screen video for the first time and shooting with my fur-babies, it felt like a moment of inspiration during a weird, creatively restrictive time.

Going forward, I do plan on having livestreams for special occasions (like we did for YAY!300K and the annual Holiday Jams pre-pandemic).  You can watch the replays for the full year via this Community Jams Playlist, and find all the livestream songbooks  here.  All the Songbooks are made available to the public for free with the support of the Patrons - so a big thanks to all of you for helping me and Lenny create these online community events during a time of social distancing.

And I have to give Ukulenny all the credit for figuring out the technological solutions so that we could virtually play together.  As performing musicians, it truly was our lifeline, and I'll be forever grateful.  Find info on all his Zooms and virtual events via his site and social media channels, which he's planning to continue.  Still, jamming online can't hold a candle to playing together in-person, and we're looking forward to returning to that reality soon!

Spring Uke Fest, hosted by Bernadette - free for all Patrons!

Popular Uketuber Bernadette of Bernadette Teaches Music is hosting a Spring Uke Fest via Zoom, featuring workshops and performances from a variety of YouTube ukulele teachers. This event is available only to our Patreon members, as a thank you for your continued support.  Save the date: Saturday April 17 and Sunday April 18 from 12pm PT to 4pm PT (Los Angeles Time Zone).  I'll be the last performer on Saturday, more details and Zoom links to come.

Update for How to Join our secret facebook group

Facebook has changed the way we can add folks to the group - apologies if you requested to be added and haven't been added yet.  Please Like the CL Community Managers Page and send a message through the page to request to be added.  The secret Patron group is a great place for asking questions (about Patreon, or ukes, or anything in between) and sharing videos of your progress.  

Thank you for reading.  I'll look forward to seeing 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. I'd love to hear 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, or anything else you'd like to share.

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 -- please Like the CL Community Managers Page and send a message through the page to request 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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APRIL 2021 PATRON EVENTS CALENDAR

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

• Thurs 4/8 @ 5:30PM Pacific Time - Beginner Live Jam ($10+ Patrons)
• Thurs 4/15 @ 5:30PM Pacific Time - Patron Monthly Live Lesson ($5+ Patrons)
• Sat-Sun 4/17-18 - Spring Uke Fest for Patrons hosted by Bernadette - free for all Patrons! I'm performing at 3pm Pacific on Sat 4/17 (details will come soon)
• Thurs 4/22 @ 5:30PM Pacific Time - Intermediate Live Jam ($20+ Patrons)
• Sat 4/24 @ 12PM Hawaii Time - CL x Ukulenny Community Jam (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.  (Patreon will only charge you for the difference in the upgrade.).

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 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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Regional Squad Zoom-based 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.

• Sat 4/10 @ 7pm Sydney Time -- Open Mic at an AUS/Asia-frendly time with Connie of the Pacific Northwest Squad - more info via FB event.
• Sat 4/10 @ 7pm GMT -- Open Mic at a UK/Europe-frendly time with Connie of the Pacfic Northwest Squad - more info via FB event.
• Tues 4/13 @ 6-7PM Eastern Time -- 2nd Tuesdays Zoom Play-Along Jam with NYC Squad leader Jenny - more info via FB Event.
• Mon 4/19 @ 6-7:30PM Pacific Time -- 3rd Monday Open Mic hosted by Ukulenny. RSVP and more information on Facebook.
• Tues 4/20 @ 6-7PM GMT -- "GMT Jam" at a UK/Europe-friendly time with NYC Squad leader Jenny - more info via FB Event.
• Tues 4/27 @ 7:30 PM CST -- jam with Community Manager Leah and her band The Better Haves - more info via FB Event.

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

• For our Beginner Live Jam ($10+ Patrons), I used the song "Happy Birthday" to teach a beginner-friendly lesson on transposing (changing the key of a song). 
• In the Patron Monthly Live Lesson ($5+ Patrons, now available to all), I taught a lesson featuring Disney's "I See the Light" + "You're Welcome".  
• For the Intermediate Live Jam ($20+ Patrons), we learned "You've Got A Friend in Me" from Disney's Toy Story -- complete with the iconic riff!
• The Disney theme continued in our March CL x Ukulenny "Disney Plus" Community Jam (public post).
• I was thrilled to host a livestream premiere of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" Flash Mob feat Jake Shimabukuro and more than 130 participants from the 100 Days Facebook group.

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COMMUNITY NOTES:

1. Join our private Facebook group (please Like the CL Community Managers Page and send a message through the page to request to be added.) 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