A-Chording to Cynthia | September 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!

New Patrons, please see the resources later in this post for help getting started in our community.  We're so happy to have you here!

Welcome all to September!  Hope you are well and safe and taking good care of yourself.  The pandemic roller coaster seems to keep on rolling - Hawai'i is facing its worst surge yet.  As we adapt to these on-going changes in life, I find it more important than ever to breathe and rest and let your expectations go of how life is supposed to be.  I'll write a little more below about what I learned during my recent "summer break."

Music is a wonderful teacher for learning how to be present and giving your full attention to the moment.  Remember that spending a little time with your ukulele is great for good for your brain and good for your soul.  Can you release yourself fully into the music?  If you need a dose of aloha, you might enjoy practicing with our livestream Community Jams. :)

5@5 is back on Instagram, and the importance of breaks

I took a break from my weekly livestream 5@5 during July and August in order to have more time for U3 video projects and to make space for new music and new inspiration.  (Also, August was my birthday month, which is a time of reset for me - check out photos of my birthday sushi cake!)  During June, I had moved 5@5 to YouTube, to experiment with the level of quality and the viewership I could get on that platform.  I wasn't completely satisfied with that transition and wanted to assess my next steps.

At the start of the break, my brain was flooded with new content ideas.  I had to resist the urge to immediately fill in the space I had made for myself.  We are all creatures of habit, and there's a satisfaction in busy-ness and "productivity."  It took me pretty much all of August to get used to the freedom of that space, to stop trying to fill it in.  The beauty of the pandemic is that we were all forced to be still.  The struggle now is that we supplanted our "old life" with a "digital life" that's far more difficult to disconnect from.  As a digital creator, there's always more that I could be doing - this is the mentality that I needed to step back from.

With the perspective of this space, I return with an appreciation for how much space I have.  And a desire to maintain that space.  I have creative freedom, and that is the greatest luxury I can imagine.  With that creative freedom, I can share my teaching and music and whatever else I decide to create to achieve my mission of a more creative, empowered, and compassionate world.  My Patron community provides both the financial support for my creative freedom, and the moral support and safe space to manifest this mission.  Thank you for choosing to be here and walk this journey with me!  If, in the future, you find me questioning which direction to go, remind me about the lesson of this break.

I've decided to bring 5@5 back to Instagram because it allows for more creative freedom and a more intimate connection with my community.  I originally started 5@5 as my performance "workshop" space, and I want to keep it that way.  Less tech, and a safer space for more risks and new ideas (YouTube live is a bit too public).  Last week's 5@5 with cellist Josh Nakazawa was a joy (watch the replay and skip past the first minute where the volume was too low) - you don't need an IG account to watch this replay.  If you are on IG, follow me @cynthialinmusic, and tune in live on Wednesdays at 5pm Pacific time.  For those not on IG, I'm considering options of how I can easily re-upload as an unlisted YouTube, or perhaps even stream to YouTube at the same time - again, less tech is the goal.  If folks have ideas, or want to help with the tech component, comment below.  We'll figure something out soon. :)

Have you given yourself any breaks this year?  What lessons have you learned from them?  Please feel free to share below.

I look forward to seeing many of you at our live Patron events this month!

Yours in creative freedom,

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, and we've streamlined the steps to join. Request to join right on the Facebook group page, and be sure to answer BOTH membership questions so Community Managers can verify your Patron status. Scroll to the Community Notes section at bottom of this post for more 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! Feel free to post your questions in the comments as well.

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September 2021 PATRON EVENTS CALENDAR

See all Patron events on our Patron Google calendar. Access this calendar and get notifications for events on the Cynthia Lin Patron App, created by our Patron Community Manager, Rich!  Download: Android app | iOS app

• Thurs 9/9 @ 5:30PM Pacific Time - Beginner Live Jam ($10+ Patrons)
• Thurs 9/16 @ 5:30PM Pacific Time - Patron Monthly Live Lesson ($5+ Patrons)
• Thurs 9/30 @ 5:30PM Pacific Time - Intermediate Live Jam ($20+ Patrons) - Chord Melody with guest co-teacher Brian Liu

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).

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September Regional Squad Events that are open to Patrons

For those who may not have a local uke club gathering, or who just want a little more ukulele in your life, you can join these friendly folks on Zoom.

• Tues. September 14 @ 6-7PM EST -- 2nd Tuesday Zoom Play-Along Jam with NYC Squad leader Jenny - more info via FB event. 
• Tues. September 21 @ 6-7PM London Time -- 3rd Tuesday Zoom Play-Along at a UK/Europe-friendly time with NYC Squad leader Jenny - more info via FB event. 
• Sat. September 18 @ 8PM London Time -- Zoom Open Mic at a UK/Europe-friendly time with Amanda and Vanessa - for more info email Amanda.crossland@gmail.com.

Remember, if you are hosting a Zoom event 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.

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

• Community Manager Jenny led a bonus UK/EU-timezone Beginner Live Jam and took your request from the Beginner Songbook ($10+ Patrons). Watch the replay on Jenny's YouTube channel. 
• For our Beginner Live Jam ($10+ Patrons), we worked on a different set of songs from the Beginner Songbook.
• In the Patron Monthly Live Lesson ($5+ Patrons, now available to all), we worked on a new arrangement of "Take On Me," by a-ha. 
• For the Intermediate Live Jam ($20+ Patrons), we learned the chord melody bridge for "Just the Two of Us." 
• I shared a post with links to past YouTube Community Jams for those who want to visit or re-visit them during practice time (all Patrons).
• I created a new public tutorial for the "Save Your Tears" remix by Ariana Grande and The Weeknd. 
• I posted a public play-along video for my arrangement of Bill Withers' "Just the Two Of Us." 

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COMMUNITY NOTES:

1. Join our private Facebook group: In the Facebook group, Patrons can share videos, advice, support, and encouragement!  Be sure to answer both membership questions so that Community Managers can verify your Patron status. If you wish to connect and are not on Facebook, you can share a 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