A-Chording to Cynthia | May 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!

As we strum into May, I'd like to extend a warm welcome to all of our new Patrons. New Patrons, please see the resources later in this post for help getting started in our community.

This month's newsletter comes a little later than normal (just taking some time to get reacquainted with real social life again!) - apologies if you've been waiting, remember you can always check our monthly events on our Patron Google calendar.  

Celebrating Day 100!  

Today is officially Day 100 in this year's 100 Days of Ukulele Project!  Congratulations to all our participants.  No matter how many videos you posted, we're thrilled that you shared your journey with us.  We're celebrating today with 2 live watch parties in the Facebook group, you can watch the recordings if you miss the live events.  Remember to order our official 100 Days tee shirt, preorders close tomorrow.

We'll be closing the facebook group to new members after today, so If you're curious to see what the project is about, please join today and check it out.  Click this link for more info, read the FAQ, and follow #100DaysUke2021 on Instagram to connect with the community there.

Would you like to attend a Live European-timezone Jam?

Our international community has grown, not only here on Patreon, but in Facebook groups, on Instagram, and even in Zoom jams.  I recognize that our regular monthly live lessons and jams don't work for folks in UK/EU time zones to attend live, and given that I live in Hawaii, a full 11 hours behind London Time, it won't be possible for me to lead a live event for our European friends.  However, I'd like to see if there's critical mass and some leaders in our community who'd like to come together and create a live event for the European timezone.

Comment below if you'd like to attend a live event on a Thursday at 5:30pm BST (London Time):  One idea we've had is to add a Beginner Live Jam ($10+) on the current open Thursday in our Patreon calendar.  Since the jam would have to be outside of my waking hours here in Hawaii, Community Manager Jenny has offered to lead it, likely starting in June. Please comment below if you be interested in attending a jam like this - critical mass is important.  Please also comment if you'd like to help with the event, in terms of co-hosting or being part of shaping the event and spreading the word.  

For European folks who want to attend a live event in May, you can attend Jenny's "Third Tuesday" Jam listed with the regional events below.  We have some fellow Patrons hosting UK/EU friendly events, highlighted below here in the newsletter and also on our Patron Google calendar (also accessible through our Patron App).  Please attend those events live - your attendance helps to confirm that there's critical mass for a live Patron event.

Remember, if you are hosting a Zoom event at any time, and would like to invite Patrons to join, feel free to post the info in the comments of these newsletter posts.  You can also message me at the end of the month if you would like your event to be considered for the next month's newsletter.

Did you join our final Community Jam?

My thanks to everyone who joined our "Keep Strumming" Community Jam to say farewell to the pandemic year. Get the Songbook and watch the replay here.  Ukulenny and I were joined by our U3 bandmate Abe Lagrimas, Jr. (check out Abe's brand new album "Beyond Words" here.) as we revisited some of our favorite Community Jam moments and songs from the past year! 

As I mentioned last month, you can watch the replays for the full year via this Community Jams Playlist, and find all the livestream songbooks  as well.  All the Songbooks were made available to the public for free with the support of the Patrons. Thank you again for making it all possible!

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. I'd love to hear how long you've been playing, what kind of uke you play, if you have a group to play with, what songs you've been working on, or anything else you'd like to share.

I recommend all new Patrons check out our community 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. If you have a question that the WelcomeGuide/FAQ post doesn't answer, please comment there to help us continue to update the FAQ.

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 community has tons of friendly folks who love sharing their uke experience. Our private Facebook group is particularly active. To join, please "Like" the CL Community Managers Page and send a message through that page requesting to be added to the Patrons group. Scroll to the Community Notes section at bottom of this post for more on ways to join and post to our Community.

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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MAY 2021 PATRON EVENTS CALENDAR

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

• Thurs 5/13 @ 5:30PM Pacific Time - Beginner Live Jam ($10+ Patrons)
• Thurs 5/20 @ 5:30PM Pacific Time - Patron Monthly Live Lesson ($5+ Patrons)
• Thurs 5/27 @ 5:30PM Pacific Time - Intermediate Live Jam ($20+ Patrons)

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, comment below or share in our Facebook group.

• Tues 5/11 @ 6-7PM Eastern Time -- 2nd Tuesdays Zoom Play-Along Jam with NYC Squad leader Jenny - more info via FB Event. 
• Tues 5/18 @ 6-7PM London Time -- play-along at a UK/Europe-friendly time with NYC Squad leader Jenny - more info via FB Event. 
• Sat 5/22 @ 8pm London Time -- Open Mic at a UK/Europe-frendly time with Amanda and Vanessa - for more info email Amanda.crossland@gmail.com.

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

• For our Beginner Live Jam ($10+ Patrons), we jammed on my updated Beginner Songbook for 2021.
• In the Patron Monthly Live Lesson ($5+ Patrons, now available to all), I taught a lesson on Fleetwood Mac's "Say You Love Me." 
• For the Intermediate Live Jam ($20+ Patrons), I shared a brand new ukulele arrangement of John Mayer's "Stop This Train." 
• Lenny, Abe Lagrimas Jr., and I joined forces for a final pandemic-year Community Jam (public post).
• I participated in the two-day Spring Uke Fest for Patrons, organized by the amazing Bernadette of Bernadette Teaches Music. You can now check out replay videos for the whole festival here: https://bit.ly/3uRB3JO.

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COMMUNITY NOTES:

1. Join our private Facebook group: Please "Like" the CL Community Managers Page and then send a message through the page to request to be added. In the Facebook group, Patrons can 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, an all-levels group, and several active regional groups (NYC / LA / the Pacific Northwest / Hawaii and more).  https://www.facebook.com/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