March 2023 Community Check-In & Newsletter (Patreon)

{Patron-only post: please click through and heart this post so I know you've seen it, thank you!}

Aloha, Patrons! A special welcome to new Patrons and a happy March to you all!  If you're new, please introduce yourself in the comments, and look for the special New Patrons section below.

Community Check-In: The Daily Habit

It's a busy time of year, and I find myself eager to do all the things. From 100 Days of Ukulele to U3 Tour to Voice Workshops to Song-Leading Circles, we have a lot going on in our community.  Remember to take it at your own pace.  I believe music is a lifelong journey, and there's no rush to do it all because there will always be more to explore.  Five minutes a day dedicated to your creative well-being is enough to build a healthy habit for your brain and your soul. 🧠🧡

In the 100 Days Project, we talk about "sustainability" as in adjusting (and often tapering back) the daily approach to the project in order to make it through to Day 100.  Have you found ways to make your project or practice more sustainable?  Have you "let go" of goals?  Have you made music a daily habit, or are you trying to?  Have you noticed changes as a result of your creative habits / 100 Day Project? Share in the comments if you like.  

Community announcements

⏱ Check all Times Carefully this month! Across the world, Daylight Saving Time begins in March/April depending on your location. Hawaii does not participate in Daylight Saving Time, and we will continue to use Hawaii Time as our reference point for lessons. I encourage you to use a time zone converter to check a lesson time against your time zone on any given date. Most folks in the US will need to tune in an hour later for this month's Live Lesson (2:30pm HT / 5:30pm PT / 8:30pmET).

💯 Save the date for 100 Days of Ukulele 2023 Mixer #2:  We had a fun First Friday Zoom Mixer for our 100 Days crew, where 40+ project participants gathered to meet in small groups via Zoom and chat about the project.  Join us for Mixer #2 on Friday, March 24th at 12pm Hawaii time.  Be sure to check out the 100 Days FAQ for all of your project questions. 

🎸 Take advantage of our Song-Leading Practice Circles: It takes practice to build confidence in leading a song, so join your fellow aspiring teachers, jam leaders, and performers in a safe space to practice song-leading skills and ask questions. Last month, Intermediate Patrons had access to 2 small-group Song-Leading Practice Circle sessions on Zoom. See this post for more details.  If you attended, let me know in the comments below what you thought was most helpful. Confidence comes with practice, so be brave, show up, and get the nerves out in front of a supportive group.  Check out the calendar below for the dates and times.

🎥 Open Mic Video Submissions for "Flowers": I've been enjoying all of your 100 Days videos of last month's lesson on "Flowers".  You can add your links in the comments of the lesson post if you'd like to share for our Open Mic. This lesson is now available to all Patrons. 

🧠 Mindful Chord Transitions for this month's Beginner Jam: I am really digging this Mindful Ukulele Practice series, and your feedback tells me that it's making a difference.  We'll continue with this approach, and I welcome your input on specific struggles that you'd like me to mindfully cover. (Barre chords!)  

🗣 Join our weekly Voice Workshop: Speaking of mindful approaches, if you want to work on your voice, it will take a lot of awareness and practice.  I'm grateful to our dedicated Voice Workshop squad, who show up weekly for the challenge of discovering your own voice (and some really weird exercises 😂).  Vocal expression may be the journey I'm most passionate about.  If you can't attend live, you can watch lesson replays and submit videos for feedback.  Watch archived lessons to catch up.

My 2023 Community Focus: Developing more confident and compassionate ukulele players, singers, and teachers through Mindful Practice, Open Mics, and Song-Leading Circles. See more in January's Newsletter post.

Thanks for reading, for being here, for supporting my journey and for sharing yours.

xo cynthia 🌺

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Special note for new Patrons

If you're new, I invite you to take some time to get to know the platform - there's a lot here, and it may take a while to navigate the many lessons and posts.  The community WelcomeGuide/FAQ post is a good place to start.  Please be patient, and I promise it will get easier!

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.

Please introduce yourself in the comments: 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.

If you have questions about Patreon, I encourage you to post your questions in the comments below or to one of our Community groups. Our community has tons of friendly folks who love sharing their uke experience. Join our Patron-only Facebook group (be sure to answer BOTH membership questions) or post your question on the Community tab here on Patreon.

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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March '23 PATRON EVENTS CALENDAR

See all Patron events on our Patron Google calendar (set on Pacific Time, click the bottom right corner to add to your 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

• Tuesdays in March (7, 14, 21, 28) @ 10AM Hawaii Time - Weekly Voice Workshop ($30+ Patrons).
• Thurs 3/9 @ 2:30PM Hawaii Time / 4:30PM Pacific Time - Beginner Live Jam on Mindful Chord Transitions ($10+ Patrons).  Pre-lesson Zoom Social at 2PM HT / 4PM PT.
• Thurs 3/16 @ 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.
• Weds 3/22 @ 8AM HT / 1PM EST / 5PM BST- Song Leading Practice Circle ($20+ Patrons) with NYC Squad leader Jenny
• Thurs 3/23 @ 2:30PM Hawaii Time / 5:30PM Pacific Time- Intermediate Live Jam - Metronome Challenge ($20+ Patrons)
• Fri 3/24 @ 12PM Hawaii Time - 100 Days Mixer #2 on Zoom, come meet other folks from the 100 Days of Ukulele project!
• Weds 3/29 @ 12PM Hawaii Time / 6PM EST - Song Leading Practice Circles ($20+ Patrons) with NYC Squad leader Jenny
• plus tune in Wednesdays at 5pm Pacific Time for my weekly 5@5 LIVE show, streaming on my LIVE YouTube channel.  I often share new arrangements for upcoming lessons.

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 those who are looking for more live jam opportunities, NYC Squad leader Jenny hosts 4 monthly free play-alongs at both USA- and UK/Europe-friendly times.  Support her on Patreon and find dates and more information here.

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February 2023 Recap - News, Patron Events and new Videos:

• There were 4 live voice lessons in February ($30+ Patrons). We continued working on on the song "Moon River." Voice students are encouraged to submit a video for feedback!
• 2 Song-Leading Practice Circles ($20+ Patrons) were offered on Zoom.
• In our Beginner Live Jam ($10+ Patrons), we talked about Mindful Strumming, using songs from the Beginner Songbook.
• For our Live Lesson, I taught my arrangement of "Flowers" by Miley Cyrus. This lesson is now available to All Patrons ($1+).
• For the Intermediate Live Jam ($20+ Patrons), we learned how to use the metronome to get more precise on the optional advanced chord progression on "Flowers."
• Community Manager Jenny and I held a livestreamed 100 Days of Ukulele Kick-Off Party/Q&A session on YouTube. Watch the replay via this post.
• Patrons who don't wish to participate on social media were invited to try posting their 100 Days video links on our Patreon Community Tab. Have you checked out their work? See this post for more details.
• I shared information on upcoming tour dates for my band U3. Check out this post for some info on our upcoming Seattle trip and this one if you'd like to come see us in Berkeley.

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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. Facebook public groups - we're using Facebook as our community gathering place because it has the best community features. Find all the CL groups using the link below, 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