A-Chording to Cynthia | February 2022 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 all the New Patrons who've just joined us!  Please see the bottom of this post for resources to get started in our community.  Introduce yourself, take time to look around, check out our Welcome Guide / FAQ post, and learn to use the Cynthia Lin Song Index to find lessons and videos.  We're so happy to have you here!

Community announcements

🗣 The February Vocal Workshop series starts Tuesday, February 8th - This month's Workshop will be a continuation of the January series, so if you're joining us for the first time, take this weekend to review those recorded lessons.  Here are direct links to Lesson 1, Lesson 2, and Lesson 3 to catch up.  When you change your Patreon tier to the $30 Vocal Workshop tier, you will get access to these posts.

To change your Patreon tier, go to https://patreon.com/join/cynthialin and choose your new tier.  Be sure to change the Tier and not just the amount.  You will only be charged for the difference in upgrading your tier.  If you took the December workshop but skipped January, please review these lessons so they're fresh.

Going forward, I think I will call this tier the Voice and Performance Tier.  I'd like to schedule 2 live Zoom events a month for this Tier, one early and one late, so that folks in different timezones can attend live.  Thanks for supporting this new tier!  I've really enjoyed teaching these classes and stretching beyond my usual material.  And seeing Patrons in real life has been awesome too!  

🥳 Pre-lesson Zoom Socials - In January, we tried out having a brief (25 minute) Zoom Social before our Live Lesson so that folks could hang out and get to know each other a bit.  I heard a lot of positive feedback, and I thought it added some extra Patron-connection energy to our Lesson!  I'd like to do that again before both our Beginner Jam next week and our Live Lesson the following week.  I figure folks will have a lot to talk about regarding 100 Days, so we could try meeting both weeks - if that's too much, we'll go back to just one the following month.  If Intermediate Jam folks want a Zoom Social as well, we can certainly add it to the calendar.  

💯 100 Days of Ukulele starts Feb 13 - All levels of players can participate in sharing their daily ukulele practice - it's all about your creative journey.  If you're curious about joining, check out our FAQ: http://bit.ly/100daysukeFAQ.  We also did a special 100 Days Q&A in this week's 5@5, click here to go directly to that segment.  You can also find tips from past year's participants.

Our 2022 Facebook group just went LIVE, and you can join it here if you're on Facebook.  It is the easiest platform for connecting with others during this Project.  Our Community Manager Jenny leads the group, and we have several moderators and group experts who can help answer questions and offer encouragement and support.  We also have a community on Instagram who will be using the hashtag #100DaysUke2022 to find each other.  Follow that tag to lend your support and drop encouraging comments to this year's participants!  Tag @clukesquad to get reshared when you reach milestones.

I think we'll do a livestream on Friday before the project begins to answer any last questions - I've been meaning to do a tutorial about how to shoot better videos, so perhaps I can do that during the livestream.  If you've checked out the resources above and still have questions, feel free to comment below, and we'll try to answer here and in the livestream.

I realized that I'm really looking forward to the 100 Days project because I get to immerse myself in new music and new learning.  Follow your passion, because you never know where it will lead.  Let's see where we go!  

xo cynthia 🌺

***

FEBRUARY 2022 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

• Tues 2/8 @ 10AM Hawaii Time - Vocal Workshop ($30+ Patrons)
• Thurs 2/10 @ 5:30PM Pacific Time - Beginner Live Jam ($10+ Patrons) - teaching La Vie en Rose and the swing rhythm.  Pre-lesson Zoom Social at 5PM.
• Tues 2/15 @ 10AM Hawaii Time - Vocal Workshop 2nd session ($30+ Patrons)
• Thurs 2/17 @ 5:30PM Pacific Time - Patron Monthly Live Lesson ($5+ Patrons). Pre-lesson Zoom Social at 5PM.
• Tues 2/22 @ 10AM Hawaii Time - Vocal Workshop 3rd and final session ($30+ Patrons)
• Thurs 2/24 @ 5:30PM Pacific Time - Intermediate Live Jam ($20+ Patrons)
• plus tune in Wednesdays 5pm Pacific Time for my weekly 5@5 LIVE show, streaming on my new LIVE YouTube channel.

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).

For Patrons who are looking for more live jam opportunities, NYC Squad leader Jenny is hosting monthly Zoom play-alongs at both USA- and UK/Europe-friendly times via her Patreon.  Support her and find more information here.

***

January 2022 Recap - News, Patron Events and new Videos:

• For our Beginner Live Jam ($10+ Patrons), we reviewed songs from last year's Easy Breezy Songbook (Volume 1). 
• In the Patron Monthly Live Lesson ($5+ Patrons, now available to all), we looked at "Island in the Sun" in two keys after an optional pre-lesson "Zoom Social."
• For the Intermediate Live Jam ($20+ Patrons), I taught a lesson on transposing, using the song "This Will Be Our Year." 
• Ukulenny and I were reunited (by green screen magic) for Volume 2 of our Easy Breezy Uke Jam.  Click here for the songbook and jam replay link.

***

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.

---

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