Best MasterClass Classes to Grow Your Skills
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Aaron Frankin, Texas BBQ pitmaster.It’s always a good time to learn new skills, and MasterClass is perfect for anyone who wants to learn them at home. The online education platform has 82 classes taught by world-famous experts in nine different categories:
The classes are for students of all skill levels, and the teachers are the best in their fields. From Carlos Santana teaching guitar to Annie Liebovitz teaching photography, MasterClass has classes for just about any interest.
The classes run from two hours to five-plus hours and are broken into video lessons that run from five to 25 minutes. Each class also comes with a PDF workbook that provides a summary of the lessons and recommendations for further reading. One class costs $90, or you can get an annual, all-access pass for $180. And you can watch (and rewatch) the video classes anytime on any internet-enabled device, Apple TV and Google Chromecast.
So if you are interested in expanding your horizons with some masters, check out MasterClass. These are the best classes to help you grow your skills.
Chris Voss Teaches the Art of Negotiation
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Teacher: American businessman, author
Lessons: 18
Minutes per lesson: 12
Cost:$90-$180
Bottom line: Chris Voss believes everything in life is a negotiation, from crossing the street to getting your coffee.
Voss would know. The former FBI lead international hostage negotiator is CEO of The Black Swan Group and author of “Never Split the Difference.”
He can teach anyone how to become a better negotiator.
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Related instructors:Doris Kearns Goodwin,Sara Blakely
Anna Wintour Teaches Creativity and Leadership
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Teacher: British journalist
Lessons: 12
Minutes per lesson: 12
Cost:$90-$180
Bottom line: Ready to be a boss? Or a better boss? Anna Wintour can teach you how.
Wintour has been the editor-in-chief of Vogue since 1988 and the artistic director for Condé Nast, Vogue's publisher, since 2013.
She’s also been called the "most powerful woman in media and entertainment" by Forbes, so she has some experience with creativity and leadership.
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Related instructors:Annie Leibovitz,Shonda Rhimes,Diane von Furstenberg
Aaron Franklin Teaches Texas-Style BBQ
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Teacher: American BBQ restaurant owner, TV personality
Lessons: 16
Minutes per lesson: 12
Cost:$90-$180
Bottom line: If you want to learn how to cook brisket like a pro, Aaron Franklin is who you want to be your teacher.
The host of "BBQ with Franklin" and owner/chief firestarter at Austin's Franklin Barbecue is a James Beard Award-winning pitmaster and will show you the finer points of Central Texas BBQ.
Call it a meat-smoking manifesto.
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Related instructors: Gordon Ramsay,Howard Schultz
Massimo Bottura Teaches Modern Italian Cooking
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Job: Italian restaurateur
Lessons: 12+
Minutes per lesson: 12 minutes
Cost:$90-$180
Bottom line: Anyone who likes Italian food will love this class.
Massimo Bottura is the chef patron of Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy — one of the best restaurants in the world. To say Bottura knows Italian cooking would be like saying Beethoven knew music.
After taking Bottura's class, you will be a kitchen maestro, making more than just the meanest pesto on the block.
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Related instructors: Thomas Keller,Alice Waters
Joyce Carol Oates Teaches the Art of the Short Story
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Teacher: American writer
Lessons: 14
Minutes per lesson: 12
Cost:$90-$180
Bottom line: You’d be hard-pressed to find a more experienced creative writing teacher than Joyce Carol Oates, who says "the most powerful writing comes from confronting taboos."
Oates published her first book in 1963 and has published 58 novels since then, along with novellas, short stories and poetry.
She also has taught at Princeton (from 1978 to 2014) and now is a visiting professor at UC Berkeley.
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Related instructors: Neil Gaiman,Margaret Atwood
Neil deGrasse Tyson Teaches Scientific Thinking and Communication
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Teacher: American astrophysicist
Lessons: 13
Minutes per lesson: 12
Cost:$90-$180
Bottom line: Neil deGrasse Tyson became fascinated by the wonders of the universe before he turned 10. He has grown up to inspire others about science through books, television and talks.
Now, the astrophysicist is a scientific rock star who's been the director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York City since 1996 and wrote the New York Times-bestselling book “Astrophysics for People in a Hurry."
His class can teach you how to connect with audiences of any kind.
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Related instructors: Chris Hadfield,Dr. Jane Goodall
Robert Iger Teaches Business Strategy and Leadership
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Teacher: American business executive
Lessons: 13
Minutes per lesson: 12
Cost:$90-$180
Bottom line: Take the ride of a lifetime with Bob Iger, the executive chairman of The Walt Disney Company and its former CEO from 2005 to early 2020.
Iger has helped Disney remain a media industry leader with his leadership and knows a thing or two about risk management, anticipating consumer trends and navigating teams to success in an age of disruption.
The lessons you learn from him will help you be more prepared to do business in our world.
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Related instructors: Sara Blakely,Anna Wintour,David Lynch
RuPaul Teaches Self-Expression and Authenticity
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Job: American drag queen, TV personality, actor
Lessons: 16
Minutes per lesson: 12
Cost:$90-$180
Bottom line: Love conquers all, and that starts with self-love.
Rupaul shares his journey to self-love and the valuable lessons of authenticity he has learned along the way. "You were not born to fit in," he says. "You were born to stand out."
These lessons can help you live your best life and become a star in whatever you do.
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Related instructors: Bobbi Brown,Marc Jacobs
Phil Ivey Teaches Poker Strategy
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Job: American professional poker player
Lessons: 11+
Minutes per lesson: 12
Cost:$90-$180
Bottom line: There was a time when it was a no-no for poker players to share any of their keys for success. But times have changed.
Now is your chance to get inside the head of Phil Ivey — one of the world’s best all-around poker players — to learn how to win more hands.
You might not take home millions of dollars as Ivey has in his Hall of Fame career, but you might be able to clean house at your neighborhood game.
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Related instructors: Daniel Negreanu,Stephen Curry
Itzhak Perlman Teaches Violin
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Job: American-Israeli violinist
Lessons: 17+
Minutes per lesson: 12
Cost: $90-$180
Bottom line: It's never too late to learn how to play a musical instrument, and Itzhak Perlman is an ideal teacher.
The virtuoso has been playing the violin since he was a kid and performing in front of international audiences since he was a teenager.
Now he teaches at Juliard and is ready to share his knowledge with any level of violin student.
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Related instructors: Hans Zimmer,Herbie Hancock,Carlos Santana