May 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!

Happy May, and a special welcome to new Patrons!  If you're new, please introduce yourself in the comments, and check out the special New Patrons section below.

It's TOUR time! Are you coming??

I leave Hawaii for tour today, and after this 4-year hiatus since my last time on tour, it feels both familiar and completely new.  I am going to make tour vlogs for my 100 Days Project (committing to it!) and share the ups and downs behind the scenes, because tour is a lot.  New cities, new stages, first time putting these U3 songs in front of real people!  It's scary and exciting, which is kind of the best feeling.  What would you like to see in the tour vlogs?  Thanks to everyone who's coming to support this tour, and we will work on getting out to the Midwest and East Coast, as well as Asia and Australia.  

Follow me on instagram or facebook for day to day vlogs, and I will post tour postcards and guestbooks after each show (meaning, you can share your post-show feelings here, in case you don't get to share them at the show!).  If you get good photos and video, please post them in our Patron-only facebook group, tag me and @u3ukulele, or leave a comment with a link to download.

Some of our monthly Patron events  have shifted to accommodate our tour dates - thank you in advance for adjusting!  See the monthly schedule below, and you can always confirm on our Patron Google calendar (which by default displays California time, but you can add to your own Google calendar by clicking the bottom right button to display events in your own timezone).

🎶 West Coast Tour tickets for my band U3 are beginning to sell out. Get your tickets now and let me know in the comments: what are you most excited to see or hear on tour?

U3 West Coast Tour

• 5/13 Berkeley, CA tickets
• 5/14 Huntington Beach, CA - 2 shows SOLD OUT, thank you! call for waitlist
• 5/18 Spokane, WA tickets
• 5/20 Seattle, WA tickets
• 5/22 Vancouver, BC, Canada tickets - low ticket alert
• see all U3 tour dates!

and just announced!

• 6/14 London, UK tickets

Community Check-In: Day 100 is June 1st

The 100 Days of Ukulele 2023 will come to a close soon. As in years past, we'll organize some end-of-project celebrations around June 1st and 2nd, and we'll share that information here and via the facebook group and @clukesquad on instagram.  Whether you participated for a few days or made it through the long haul, you can join us to celebrate.  Each year is a journey, and it's important to give yourself credit for simply attempting the project.  (And it's not too late to pick the project back up if you want!)  Remember, it's your project: what did it teach you?   How are you feeling about this final stretch?  Do you have anything special planned for your own Day 100 post? Let us know in the comments!  You can  check out the 100 Days FAQ for other project questions or if you're curious for next year.

Community Announcements

✌🏽This month's Live Lesson is "Valerie": U3 played a reggae-style version of "Valerie" for the encore at the U3 Backyard Concert, joined by Sarah's awesome vocals and Craig's smooth soloing.  I'll teach both the Amy Winehouse version that has more of an R&B feel, and the reggae strum that U3 plays.

🎥 Open Mic Video Submissions for "Sukiyaki" by Kyu Sakamoto: I welcome you to submit a practice video of last month's lesson on this song. 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 Fingerpicking Patterns for this month's Beginner Jam: We are continuing with our Mindful Ukulele Practice series, and I welcome your input on specific struggles that you'd like me to mindfully cover.

🗣 Voice Workshop concludes our focus on “Hey Jude”:  After working on “Moon River” from January through March, we switched gears in April. I’d like to do a 100 Days Flash Mob using “Hey Jude,” and I thought folks might enjoy some dedicated practice on the vocals.  I'm grateful to our dedicated Voice Workshop squad, who show up weekly for the challenge of discovering your own voice.  This month, we've focused on practicing with metronome tracks at different tempos to train your voice in different ways. If you can't attend live, you can watch lesson replays and submit videos for feedback.  Join anytime, and 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.

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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May '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

• Special dates in May: Tues and Fri 5/2, 5/5, 5/9, 5/30 @ 10AM Hawaii Time - Weekly Voice Workshop ($30+ Patrons). Focus on “Hey Jude” through 5/9, then beginning a new focus.
• Thurs 5/4 @ 2:30PM Hawaii Time / 5:30PM Pacific Time - Beginner Live Jam on Mindful Fingerpicking Patterns ($10+ Patrons).  Pre-lesson Zoom Social at 2PM HT / 5PM PT.
• Thurs 5/11 @ 2:30PM Hawaii Time / 5:30PM Pacific Time - Patron Monthly All-Levels Live Lesson on "Valerie" ($5+ Patrons). Pre-lesson Zoom Social at 2PM HT / 5PM PT.
• Thurs 5/25 @ 2:30PM Hawaii Time / 5:30PM Pacific Time- Intermediate Live Jam  ($20+ Patrons)
• plus tune in most 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. 5@5 will NOT air on Wednesday 5/10, 5/17, or 5/24 this month, due to the U3 West Coast Tour dates

Details for all Patron 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 or song-leading opportunities, NYC Squad leader Jenny hosts 4 monthly free play-alongs at both USA- and UK/Europe-friendly times. Patrons are welcome to try their hand at leading a song!  Support her on Patreon and find dates and more information here.

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

• There were 4 live voice lessons in April ($30+ Patrons). We began working on on the song "Hey Jude," in preparation for a future virtual "flash mob" project. Voice students are encouraged to submit a video for feedback!
• In our Beginner Live Jam ($10+ Patrons), we talked about mindfully playing Barre Chords, using songs from the Beginner Songbook.
• For our Live Lesson, I taught my arrangement of "Sukiyaki" by Kyu Sakamoto. This lesson is now available to All Patrons ($1+).
• For the Intermediate Live Jam ($20+ Patrons), we worked on jazz progressions using barre chords, via my arrangement of "Beyond the Sea."
• I hosted a third Zoom Mixer for 100 Days participants (on Day 66 of 100)!
• Ukulele teachers and performers Craig Chee and Sarah Maisel featured U3 in performance at one of their Backyard Concerts. Check out the post and find a link to the replay here.
• I released a new video covering "Wild World" by Yusuf, aka Cat Stevens, in which I played with Sarah and Craig.

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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