A-Chording to Cynthia | June 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 introduce yourself, take time to look around, check out our Welcome Guide / FAQ post, learn to use the Cynthia Lin Song Index to find lessons and videos, and join our private Facebook group (the best place to get help with Patreon!).  Want to share a picture of a new ukulele? :)  Post over on our Community page!  See the bottom of this post for more resources to get started in our community.   We're so happy to have you here!

Share Your Aloha - Community Check-in 

How can we make a positive difference in the world?  I think about this question frequently, and continually come back to this answer: Change begins right where you are, starting with yourself.  Can you give yourself a dose of kindness and compassion?  When we embody aloha, it naturally spills over and touches those around us.  But often, we are harder on ourselves than we would ever be with other people.

The beauty of a challenge like the 100 Days of Ukulele Project (which we just wrapped up at the end of May) is that everyone who participates is transformed.  It is a journey of teaching yourself the healing aloha of daily creative time, and learning that patience and persistence over time becomes confidence and skill.  A big part of the 100 Days of Ukulele Project is that we take time to support and be inspired by the journeys of our fellow project participants.  It's a reminder that, in ukulele and in life, we can support each other in our individual journeys, and we can and should give ourselves as much grace as we give others.

If you like, please say Aloha in the comments below - could be just a quick hello, an update from your ukulele or creative life, what you're working on, if you have a group to play with, any aha or lightbulb moments that you've had recently (I love hearing about those!).  If you host a jam or event and would like to invite Patrons, you can share that too.  Feel free to post in the comments, and take a moment to read and respond to other folks' comments.  💛

Community announcements

🗣 Voice Workshop is weekly in June - every Tues 10am Hawaii Time.  All classes will be recorded and available to watch at your convenience.  Upgrade to $30 tier to join us, and click this link to catch up on all the May sessions.

💯 Watch our 100 Days Open-Mic Celebrations - Congratulations to all the100 Dayers!  We celebrated with two community Open Mic Parties.  I'm so proud of the first-time Open Mic participants!  Thanks to Jenny Selig for hosting and organizing the Open Mics.  Watch the replays here: Open Mic 1 Replay | Open Mic 2 Replay 

👋🏽 Join our Pre-lesson Zoom socials - we're meeting on Zoom for 25 minutes before the Beginner and All-Levels Lessons to chat in small groups with fellow Patrons.  It's been so fun to put faces with names!  Hop on if you can!

📒Our updated Beginner Songbook now has 50 songs!  Beginner-tier Patrons ($10+) can download it here, and catch up on our jam from last month.  

☀️ Save the Date:  SF Summer Ukesplosion is Saturday, July 9 - Ukulenny and I are back for this free outdoor jam in downtown San Francisco!  If you're planning to come, please comment below - we'll try to organize a Patron gathering.  This may be my only traveling appearance this year, so plan to join us if you're in the area.  More info: https://ybgfestival.org/event/sf-uke-jam-2022/

See you online soon!

xo cynthia 🌺

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JUNE 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

• Each Tuesday in June (7, 14, 21. 28) @ 10AM Hawaii Time / 1PM Pacific Time - Weekly Voice Workshop ($30+ Patrons)
• Thurs 6/9 @ 2:30PM Hawaii Time / 5:30PM Pacific Time - Beginner Live Jam ($10+ Patrons).  Pre-lesson Zoom Social at 2PM HT / 5PM PT. 
• Thurs 6/16 @ 2:30PM Hawaii Time / 5:30PM Pacific Time - Patron Monthly All-Levels Live Lesson ($5+ Patrons). Pre-lesson Zoom Social at 2PM HT / 5PM PT.
• Thurs 6/23 @ 2:30PM Hawaii Time / 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 4 monthly Zoom play-alongs at both USA- and UK/Europe-friendly times via her Patreon.  Support her and find more information here.

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

• For our Beginner Live Jam ($10+ Patrons), we jammed with the newly updated Beginner Songbook  
• In the Patron Monthly Live Lesson ($5+ Patrons, now available to all), I taught "Hanalei Moon" in 2 keys.
• For the Intermediate Live Jam ($20+ Patrons), I taught my arrangement of "Stay (I Missed You)" by Lisa Loeb.  Now everyone can also check out the video of my sibling singalong of this one!  Hit the CC button on YouTube to see chords and lyrics so you can join us.
• I was thrilled to share a new video for "Linger" by The Cranberries, featuring the talented Josh Nakazawa on cello.
• April Guest Instructors Sarah Maisel and Craig Chee shared follow-up lessons to accompany their recent mini workshops on chord melody and chord substitutions ($20+ Patrons).
• I released a video featuring a Wrist + Finger Stretch for Ukulele Players. Have you tried it?
• On YouTube, I shared a new playalong video in which my family sings "We Don't Talk About Bruno"

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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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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