I came to know of MasterClass when I found out that my favorite chef of all time, Chef Gordon Ramsay, is running a Culinary Arts class there. After checking it out, I realized that Gordon Ramsay wasn’t the only star instructor on the site. There are Usher, and Neil Gaiman, and all those big names. That got me even more curious. Therefore, I’ve decided to put together this comprehensive review to help you, as well as myself, dig deeper into MasterClass.
In this detailed review, I’ll share my thoughts on MasterClass and whether you should sign up for one of the biggest eLearning platforms of 2019.
Below are six main questions I’ll try to answer in this MasterClass review.
| What is MasterClass? | |
| Who are MasterClass instructors? | |
| What are the classes like? | |
| How much is MasterClass? | |
| My favorite classes at MasterClass | |
| MasterClass vs Udemy: A Review |
What Is MasterClass?
MasterClass is one of the leading online learning platforms. Founded by David Rogier and Aaron Rasmussen in 2014, this San Francisco-based startup has become home to the world’s greatest minds.
Registered under the name Yanka Industries, the website was soon renamed to MasterClass. The platform aims to offer online classes with “renowned personalities in their respective fields.” Its pitch is simple:
Famous people teach you about things that made them famous.
Within a few months of release, MasterClass had received 30,000 sign-ups and thousands of positive reviews.
Who Are MasterClass Instructors?
Instructors are the main reason why MasterClass is so popular among the online learning community. Every single teacher is a household name.
Initially, MasterClass was started with just three instructors: Actor Dustin Hoffman, athlete Serena Williams, and author James Patterson. Additional masters were added several months later, leading to a total number of 63 instructors in 2019.
Some of the most popular celebrity instructors on MasterClass include:
- Serena Williams teaches Tennis
- Natalie Portman teaches Acting
- Christina Aguilera teaches Singing
- Dan Brown teaches Writing Thrillers
- Gordan Ramsay teaches Cooking
The list goes on.
How David and Aaron ever managed to gather such an incredible team of instructors on board is unbelievable to me. But, according to David, these celebrities “see this as a way to give back […] If it was for the money, there are tons of other options.”
This is a MasterClass and there are no rules. I don’t know how to teach acting except to share some experiences I’ve had and show you ways of working. And maybe from those experiences, you’ll get something out of it, whether you’re an aspiring actor or writer […] I never like to give advice, but I wanted to teach what I wish someone had taught me.
Hoffman shares with The Hollywood Reporter
Learners may also have the rare chance to interact with their star instructor. Serena Williams once invited one of her students to play tennis while James Patterson published a novel with Kecia Bal after she took his course.
What Are the Classes Like?
Course Format
Video courses on MasterClass are 100% exclusive. The curriculum for each course is designed by the instructor. Each class includes:
- 2-5+ hours of video content split up into individual lesson videos
- a class workbook
- interactive assignments
- and community activities.
How MasterClass Works
One thing so obvious, yet needed to be said, is that MasterClass interface is one of the most easy-to-use things I’ve ever seen. After signing up for a class, you’ll be taken to an intuitive interface that shows you your first lesson and basic information about the course.
In some cases, the teacher just speaks straight to the camera. In others, the instructor tries to guide students to complete a task. Some lessons may include extracts from the teachers’ works.
Unfortunately, MasterClass doesn’t provide an official certificate of completion but only an email confirming that you have completed the course.
A Unique Interface in All-Access
If you get the All-Access Pass, you can experience a unique part of MasterClass, which seems to be purposefully built for creative minds.
I’ll talk more about the All-Access pass later in this MasterClass review. For now, let me just quickly show you what I meant.
As I’m fascinated by writing, I decided to check out Neil Gaiman, Dan Brown, and Margaret Atwood classes first. So, here are my choices:
I started with Margaret Atwood Teaches Creative Writing. Halfway through the video, I paused and was given three options:
- Continue with the Introduction I started
- Skip to the next lesson by Margaret Atwood
- Start an entirely new class by Malcolm Gladwell
I just love this feature. MasterClass is the first online learning platform that turns their back on a rigorous process of watching lessons in a certain order. Instead, you’re even encouraged to jump around from one instructor to the next.
They push it even further by arranging lessons into playlists.
As you can see, my Day 1 theme is Determination. And I’ve been welcomed by a curated series of lessons based on this particular theme. I can also explore even more playlists by scrolling down the homepage.
This other playlist, for example, Story: Idea to Ending, combines of lessons from five different instructors: James Patterson, Aaron Sorkin, Steve Martin, Judy Blume, and Malcolm Gladwell. It will show a relevant video from each instructor.
Recommended playlists aren’t new. In fact, we see them every day on Youtube and Netflix. However, not a lot of online learning platforms utilize this handy feature.
The fact that MasterClass does proves to users its dedication to learning. It makes me feel that people at MasterClass are actually having something worth sharing to tell rather than just some ill-formed lesson plans.
MasterClass Community
One of the biggest differences between a normal classroom and a virtual one is the environment. When you go to a real-life class, you have a chance to talk with your teacher and peers. Taking an online course, on the other hand, means that you’re pretty much on your own.
It has become a challenge for eLearning educational providers to create a collaborative learning environment which feels more or less the same as in normal classrooms.
MasterClass approaches this challenge through The Hub.
The Hub is where MasterClass community meets and interacts. You can think of it as a forum with topics tagged with the instructor’s name. Unfortunately, it’s not exactly the most inspiring place to be. It’s still just a bulletin board as opposed to a place to meet new people.
Another perk of MasterClass I want to mention in this review is their Office Hours, where your questions can be addressed by your heroes. However, these office hours are super rare and only a few queries have been answered. It doesn’t mean that luck can’t interfere though.
As you can see below, Jon Zucker and Keith Newman did receive a reply from the very own Steve Martin on his worst show and finding his voice.
How Much Is MasterClass?
As you’ll be learning with experts in the industry, the price at MasterClass can be a little higher than other platforms.
In the past, you would have the option to take a free trial with MasterClass. Unfortunately, that option is no longer available after August 20th, 2018.
Now, you can either:
- Buy a single MasterClass for $90 a pop
- Get All-Access for $180 / year.
You’ll get a 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee and lifetime access for both options. You can also opt to give someone a MasterClass course as a gift thanks to a special option on their website.
Should You Get the All-Access Pass?
According to MasterClass, All-Access will grant you lifetime access to every course available on the platform. You will also receive a special lesson-by-lesson guide for each class.
To decide whether to get the All-Access Pass or not, make sure to look thoroughly at the Instructors page.
- If there are at least three instructors you’d like to learn from, it’s worth going straight for the All-Access Pass. You’re gonna save quite a bit of money in the long run.
- However, if you’re only drawn to one particular instructor, you should begin with their individual class first.
My Favorite Classes at MasterClass
Gordon Ramsay Teaches Cooking I
As Chef Ramsay is the reason I discovered MasterClass in the first place, it would be wrong not to review his class.
His first-ever MasterClass was named Gordon Ramsay Teaches Cooking I. He has just added a second MasterClass. But, this one will always be my favorite.
This MasterClass comes with:
- 20 videos lessons filmed from his own kitchen
- and a downloadable cookbook with lesson recaps, recipes, and supplemental materials.
Some handy new tricks I’ve learned from this class:
- If the egg stays firm in your spoon once you lift it out, it’s cooked. Instead of pre-seasoning the eggs, turn the mix in the pan with a spatula. A perfect scrambled egg shouldn’t take more than four minutes.
- Make sure the shiny side of the tin foil is up and the dull side is in.
- “You should always chop with three fingers down, and use your knuckle to guide the blade”, Gordon advices.
- Rosemary stalks can be used to pierce some fish while it cooks, or stick it into a leg of lamb.
- To get the juiciest lemons, roll them before squeezing.
- To evenly chop your basil, find the largest leaf you can. Then lay the smaller leaves inside it and roll it up like a cigar. You can then chop finely.
- To test if a butternut squash is ripe, turn it upside down. Push the pit at the bottom of the squash with your thumb. If it’s firm, then it’s ripe.
- If you’re cooking a chicken breast, take it out of the fridge and let it relax for three minutes before cooking it.
- When seasoning a fillet of beef, be firm with the meat.
- Score the skin of the salmon before frying it. This stops the salmon from buckling up from the heat. To score the skin, pinch the salmon to make it nice and tight, then run a sharp knife three times through the skin.
Gordon Ramsay, whether you remember as an obnoxious chef shouting at contestants or a thoughtful mentor looking after the next generation of MasterChef – is, at his heart, a teacher.
You’ll see that new side of him across this class, taking you into his home kitchen to learn everything from kitchen setup and buying the freshest ingredients to constructing unforgettable dishes.
Malcolm Gladwell Teaches Writing
In the past months, I’ve had the opportunity to read both of Malcolm Gladwell’s books, Blink and The Tipping Point. Although Gladwell’s books have been quite influential to marketers, they are just as informative to me as a buyer.
Now, the renowned storyteller and best-selling author is making his entrance into teaching through his first MasterClass.
Malcolm Gladwell Teaches Writing includes:
- 24 lessons leading you from how to establish an effective and interesting narrative, how to engage readers, to his personal researching principles
- A workbook with lesson recaps, assignments, and supplemented materials
The class has completely changed my views on non-fiction books and challenged what I thought I knew. Non-fictions are not simply books of fact, but a beauty in its own genre.
Some of my favorite advice from Malcolm Gladwell are:
- You don’t have to end your story perfectly. Sometimes there’s beauty in a question mark.
- The best way to draw your readers from the start is to create a puzzle for them to unravel in the end, but don’t give them a perfect solution.
- Don’t interview a source looking to “find” anything interesting in what they have to say. Effective interviewing is all about convincing them to find themselves interesting – and you’ll hear gold.
- Interesting is better than perfect. Perfect doesn’t irritate a reader, it doesn’t elicit a reaction. Interesting does.
My favorite part is when he implies that our writing is, in fact, a reflection of who we read. And, his list of books to read to improve writing is just fascinating.
The only problem I had with Malcolm Gladwell Teaches Writing is that its Office Hours are empty. No videos or feedback are added by the man.
James Patterson Teaches Writing
As I’ve mentioned at the beginning of this MasterClass review, James Patterson once published a novel with one of his students. That student is Kecia Bal.
After taking James Patterson Teaches Writing class, Kecia became the first winner of the James Patterson MasterClass Co-Author Competition.
The course contains:
- 22 video lessons teaching you how to create characters, write dialogues, and keep readers turning the page
- A class workbook with notes, reading materials, and assignments
Step by step, James will take you into the world of writing, starting with finding the right ideas for your story. You’ll then try to build a captivating plot based on those raw ideas, sticking it with a marketable title.
But that’s not everything you’ll learn throughout the course. You’ll also start to see the world through his lenses, a man whose books have sold over 300 million copies, and who’s been named one of the highest-paid authors in the world by Forbes for many consecutive years. And that, for me, is invaluable.
If you’re still hesitating about whether to enroll, have a look at what I’ve learned from James Patterson Teaches Writing MasterClass.
deadmau5 Teaches Electronic Music Production
Who is deadmau5?
deadmau5 is a man with an over-sized mouse helmet.
But, that’s not the only thing he is though. If you must know, deadmau5 is a Canadian DJ with fully-booked live shows and top hits. He’s also well-known as an electronic music producer.
With the debut of deadmau5 Teaches Electronic Music Production, he’s now an instructor.
The package consists of:
- 23 video lessons on how to mix, master, and market your music
- A downloadable workbook with lesson recaps and supplemental materials
Unfortunately, this class is not for complete beginners. To fully make use of the course, you must at least have an idea of what EDM is and what you want to do with it.
Hans Zimmer Teaches Film Scoring
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. Unlike a song, a film score usually does not have lyrics.
Hans Zimmer has scored for over 150 films, including The Lion King, The Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Dark Knight Trilogy.
Now, the self-taught Academy Award-winner will take you one step closer into the film scoring universe through his Hans Zimmer Teaches Film Scoring class.
In his MasterClass, Hans Zimmer sheds light on how he found his voice, to help you find yours. He’ll teach you:
- the rules of film scoring – and how to break them
- how to collaborate with filmmakers and musicians
- how to refine themes and score full-length films or shorts
By the end, you’ll have the tools he uses on his projects, to use on your own.
Aaron Sorkin Teaches Screenwriting
Aaron Sorkin is an American screenwriter, director, producer, and playwright. He’s best known for writing films and dramas like A Few Good Men, The Social Network (for which he won an Oscar) and The West Wing.
He wrote his first movie on cocktail napkins. Since then, his career has totally transformed. Now, his screenwriting MasterClass is one of the best and most sought-after in the business.
Throughout 35 video lessons of Aaron Sorkin Teaches Screenwriting, you’ll learn his rules of storytelling, dialogue, character development, and what makes a script actually sell. What makes the class even more special is its group workshops.
Sorkin sometimes leads a series of workshops as he reviews sample scripts from students. He even invites you into his writer’s room for an eight-part screenwriting case study where he and his team will script, rewrite, and break down a new Season 5 premiere of The West Wing.
Shonda Rhimes Teaches Writing for Television
I’ve been obsessing over Scandals for several years. And now, I can’t stop talking about Grey’s Anatomy.
When I realized that Shonda Rhimes was the person behind the two shows, I was awed. Then when it hit me that she’s running the MasterClass, I was even more ecstatic.
Shonda Rhimes Teaches Writing for Television includes 30 lessons spread over 6 hours of class. During these instructions, Rhimes breaks down the essentials of storytelling, character creation, script structure, and dialogue, using case studies from episodes of her famous shows.
You’ll also learn how to pitch your pilot once it’s polished and how to break into the competitive television industry.
What I like most, however, is her playbook of writing. You heard me right. Rhimes will grant you access to top-notch exclusive content, like original pilot scripts and pitch notes, from her best-known series
Steve Martin Teaches Comedy
In addition to being one of the world’s most beloved comedians and actors, Steve Martin is also a writer, a musician, a magician, and an art enthusiast.
I wonder whether there’s anything he can’t do.
To people’s joy and astonishment, he adds to his list of careers another category: an instructor. His first MasterClass, Steve Martin Teaches Comedy, was debuted back in 2017. Since then, it has gained thousands of subscriptions.
His five decades of experience in comedy will be packed into this 25-lesson MasterClass. He’ll be teaching you how to make the audience laugh, how to find your comedic voice and develop a persona, how to craft jokes and the best ways to practice.
The main goal of the course is for you to develop a tight five-minute standup set and a fleshed-out comedy sketch, as well as a bit of live performance under your belt.
Werner Herzog Teaches Filmmaking
You remember Aguirre, the Wrath of God, Nosferatu the Vampyre, Fitzcarraldo, and a stream of cerebral, often haunting, documentaries like Lessons of Darkness, Grizzly Man, and Into the Abyss?
All those unforgettable visuals were brought to life by the talented Werner Herzog. After 60 years of film-making, Werner Herzog wants to teach you everything he knows.
The course consists of 26 lessons. Each is accompanied by a video featuring a well-dressed Werner Herzog, sitting on a chair in a large room with a projection screen to his right.
The first half of the curriculum is mostly concerned with narrative and the process of making feature films: writing, financing, locations, cinematography, working with actors, sound, editing.
The latter part of the course delves into his own documentary. Over the course of four chapters, Werner explains how he “cracks people open” and reveals techniques for, in essence, getting strangers to lay down their souls on film.
Herbie Hancock Teaches Jazz
First of all, the title for this MasterClass can be a little misleading. Learn Jazz in 25 relatively short video lessons?
That just can’t be done.
Of course, you won’t be able to master Jazz in just this one class. Instead, you’ll get the best of Herbie for many different topics that are mostly about jazz, and music in general.
Things I’ve taken out from the course include:
- A lot of Herbie’s philosophical approach to music
- His approach to writing and composing
- Interesting chord voicings and reharmonizations lessons
- How he learns new things and tunes
- Some piano exercises and technical stuff
- Herbie’s approach to navigating your career as a musician
- His favorite music and inspirations throughout his career
- Herbie’s approach to improvising (alone or with a group – including some live trio jam sessions as examples)
If you want a more detailed review of these classes, including valuable insight notes, be sure to check out the ten best MasterClasses of all time.
MasterClass vs Udemy: A Review
Some people say that:
Udemy is a supermarket and MasterClass is a Michelin restaurant.
While that statement is not wrong, Udemy and MasterClass are both effective online learning platforms offering a wide variety of learning options.
Let’s quickly look at how they differ from each other:
| MASTERCLASS | UDEMY | |
|---|---|---|
| Instructors | Celebrities | Anyone |
| Categories | 8 | Anything |
| Courses | 60+ | 130K+ |
| Certificate | X | ✓ |
| Free Classes | X | ✓ |
| Price | $90 / class All-access: $180 / year | $199 / class On Sale: $10.99 |
Is MasterClass a Good Fit for You?
My review this time can be a little personal and one-sided as I just knew of MasterClass not that long ago. Also, I’ve only taken classes from my favorite instructors so far.
At the end of my MasterClass review, I want to quickly address this question:
Is MasterClass worth paying for?
It all comes down to the type of educational experience you’re looking for. Help me answer these three questions:
✓ Are you capable of studying by yourself?
✓ Do you like being taught not by “real” teacher but by celebrities?
X Is $90, $180 for All-Access, a large amount of money to spend?
If your answers are mostly YES, then MasterClass can be the place for you to start.
In general, MasterClass has provided me a decent experience when it comes to video quality, content quality, and ease of use. I do believe that it’s hard to find a better value for money than one offered at MasterClass.
But, if MasterClass doesn’t seem like somewhere you’d belong, remember that there are still plenty of best online learning platforms out there. The most important and most difficult thing is you’re willing to take that first step.
Hope you like my MasterClass review!