A-Chording to Cynthia | July 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, and learn to use the Cynthia Lin Song Index to find lessons and videos.  See the bottom of this post for resources to get started in our community.   We're so happy to have you here!

Share Your Aloha - Community Check-in

If you like, feel free to share an update from your ukulele or creative life in the comments.  I especially like to hear about any aha or lightbulb moments that you've had recently.  I believe sharing your inspiration can help inspire those around you.  If you host a jam or event and would like to invite Patrons, you can share that too.  And please take a moment to read and respond to other folks' comments - let's practice inspiring each other.  💛

This past month, I was thrilled to share a bonus Intro to Hula Workshop with the Intermediate-level Patrons.  Sharing hula inspires me and brings me joy, and I feel it is an important part of learning the ukulele, especially if you want to play Hawaiian music.  Hula expresses a deep connection to the words of a song, and when you watch hula, you can truly feel the aloha.  If you have the means to upgrade to Intermediate ($20+), please check out the workshop, and you'll also have access to all the archived Intermediate Jams.  If you participated in the Hula Workshop, please share a few words about how it felt for you.  Should we do it again and bring Uncle Allen back? ☺️

I also enjoyed sharing an Intermediate level-up metronome practice for the Beatles' song, "Something." The practice prepared me for recording and releasing a performance video of "Something."  The process of working out material at a performance level is the difference between good and great, between understanding and mastery, and I would like to share more practices like this with the Intermediate level.  Did you enjoy the challenge of this lesson?  

Community announcements

☀️ Come uke with me!  SF Summer Ukesplosion is Saturday, July 9 - Ukulenny and I are back for this free outdoor jam in downtown San Francisco!  Join us Saturday afternoon for Ukesplosion from 1-2:30pm, and Patrons are invited to come to an Afterparty nearby hosted by the Aloha Uke Squad from 3-6pm.  I'll be posting the Songbook and sending out an RSVP form for the Afterparty soon.  More info: https://ybgfestival.org/event/sf-uke-jam-2022/  We will also be livestreaming the event on my Cynthia Lin LIVE youtube channel, so folks can watch and play along from home.  I'll share all the details in a separate post.

🗣🗣Voice Workshop is weekly in July - 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 June sessions.

See you online soon!

xo cynthia 🌺

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July 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 July (5, 12, 19,26) @ 10AM Hawaii Time / 1PM Pacific Time - Weekly Voice Workshop ($30+ Patrons)
• Thurs 7/7 @ 2:30PM Hawaii Time / 5:30PM Pacific Time - Beginner Live Jam ($10+ Patrons).  Pre-lesson Zoom Social at 2PM HT / 5PM PT.  We'll go over the UkeSplosion Songbook and warm up for the jam.
• Thurs 7/21 @ 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 7/28 @ 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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June 2022 Recap - News, Patron Events and new Videos:

• There were 4 live voice lessons in June ($30+ Patrons)
• For our Beginner Live Jam ($10+ Patrons), we talked about time signatures while jamming with the updated Beginner Songbook.
• In the Patron Monthly Live Lesson for "Redemption Song" is now available to all Patrons.,  I also released a brand new video for this classic.
• For the Intermediate Live Jam ($20+ Patrons), we used the George Harrison song "Something" to work through some advanced ukulele exercises.  
• I also released a performance video of "Something" that you can play along with - turn on the CC button (closed captions) for chords and lyrics. 
• I shared a Daily Chord Warmup exercise video that I developed with the Beginner Patrons.  Practice "Happy Birthday" in 5 keys!  
• I hosted a bonus Intro to Hula workshop with Allen Ogi, my "hula uncle" and the leader and choreographer of the Hau'oli Hula Hui, who are performing at SF Summer Ukesplosion this year.

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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