What is MasterClass?
MasterClass is a premium learning platform that provides video lessons and classes taught by artists and geniuses in their field. It transforms e-learning into something different wherein you will gain not only education but also inspiration and direction. Moreover, it is a unique education platform that is subscription-based. If you’re enjoying this MasterClass review, you might want to check out our Skillshare review as well.
How to Sign Up for MasterClass?
Before continuing with the MasterClass review, here’s how you can sign-up for the service.
Placing Payment Details
Accessing the Classes
MasterClass Subscription Options
MasterClass offers a lot of different courses from people who are known in their respective fields. It works on two kinds of subscriptions, namely Single Class and All-Access membership. The single class membership will cost you $90, and it gives you lifetime access to a single class. Moreover, you will enjoy a class of 20 to 40 lessons in a video wherein each video lasts from three to four minutes. With this membership tier, you can have two to five hours of your chosen topic and gain knowledge of your desired topic for just $90. The all-access membership gives you unlimited access to offered classes. You will also have access to the new classes being by MasterClass launched for the price of $180 per annum. It is the best choice if you want to learn different topics and come across masters of different fields. With that, you’ll be able to pursue the passion that best suits you. Furthermore, you can also access MasterClass’ mobile and TV apps, allowing you to learn wherever you are. You will be able to enjoy classes with 20 videos, each taking an average of ten minutes long. You can also download some of the workbooks available in the site. You can enjoy this budget-friendly option along the way.
Annual Membership
If you are interested to get the annual membership, you can visit the page of the course which you are interested to purchase. On that page, select Annual Membership that you can find below “Choose your edition.” You can pay for this membership using a valid debit or credit card (American Express, Visa, MasterCard, or Discover).
MasterClass Subscription Cancellation
If you find the classes boring, you can ask for a refund within thirty days upon registering. Send an email to [email protected], and your refund will be given to you in full. If you are not satisfied with what MasterClass offers, you can opt to cancel your subscription. Just log in to your account and go to Account Settings. Go to Subscription and click on Cancel. Follow the instructions that will then be prompted, and your membership will not renew. With that finished, we can now continue with the rest of the MasterClass review.
How Does MasterClass Work?
Masterclass offers its online courses through a series of video lessons each ranging from five to fifteen minutes. Some last of up to an hour with each class includes 10 to 30 lessons. These classes can contain workbooks, background materials, downloadable worksheets, reading lists, assignments, and community activities to help you to study during your free time. There’s also a community where you can join different discussions, share your knowledge, and interact with people who have the same passion. All videos in MasterClass are pre-recorded. With that, you can take your lessons online and watch them on your computer and smartphone. You can enjoy every lesson at your own pace.
Why Is It Unique?
This part of the MasterClass review will talk about what separates MasterClass from other learning platforms.
Instructors
All the instructors who teach in Masterclass are well-known and successful in the field that they are teaching. With that, they make this platform an efficient place for the learners. You’ll be able to learn from the legends as they teach the things which make them famous. As they give lectures on what made them successful, you will gain positive insights, amazing knowledge, and useful tips that can help you to learn and be better in your chosen field.
Video Quality is Mind-Blowing
The videos of the classes, with run times varying from three to 20 minutes, are of the same quality as Hollywood films. With that, they offer the best video production quality apart from any other online education platform. This is a standout feature that creates a lifelong learning experience since you just don’t watch but also learn some skills along the way.
MasterClass Features
Quality of Videos
MasterClass is a video-based online learning platform that provides the best video quality that’s comparable to Netflix. The hard work and effort put into each video are all clearly shown on every lesson’s videos. Moreover, the sound, lighting, camerawork, instructors, and music match well in every video. All of these make the learners appreciate all the videos, making them watch more and become more enthusiastic to learn.
Affordable
MasterClass offers subscription options that you can choose from. Since it offers services from well-known experts from around the globe, the learnings that you will gain is much more than what you expect. Your subscription is all worth it as you learn about various things.
Hassle-Free Interface
Masterclass’s user interface is simple and easy to use. Even those who are computer-savvy will not get lost and can easily avail all the services that the platform offers. Concerning its mobile app, it has the same interface. The video quality is the same as what you can see on the desktop version.
Wide Range of Choices
Different instructors came from different fields of expertise. They offer a wide range of programs that cover almost every field that everyone might be interested in. Moreover, new content and instructors are being added periodically.
Learn At Your Own Pace
Since the classes are pre-recorded, you can consume them any time you want. You can watch your classes on your TV, laptop, desktop, and smartphone. Moreover, you can also download the videos and play them on audio while you are on the go. You don’t also need to sit for hours to learn the lessons because you can always continue where you left off.
Entertaining and Educational
Not only do you can get to be taught by renowned personalities who share their skills, but you also get to be entertained with their movie-like presentation. All the aspects are put together in a professional manner, making it stand out from other online teaching platforms. You’ll be entertained and educated at the same time.
Taking Notes
It has downloadable guides and workbooks. It also provides a space where you can make your notes aside from what your instructors said. You can get to catch up with other lessons as you can watch them even if you don’t have an internet connection.
Workbooks
The lessons include workbooks that you can download. Workbooks contain key points of classes. There are also additional references, online links to resources, and many more. With that, you need not worry if you don’t understand a thing. Moreover, some workbooks have assignments that could be of great help when you want to learn more about the lesson.
The Office Hours
This is the question-and-answer part of the class where the students can get to ask questions by posting videos alongside their questions. These queries will be addressed by the actual teachers. These can help others if they have similar concerns.
User-Friendly Interface
It offers a simple, clean, and straightforward website, making it easy for everyone to explore or navigate. You don’t need to be knowledgeable on the computer to be able to access your chosen topic thanks to its user interface.
Access to The Hub
The Hub, which is MasterClass’ term for the community, helps students to interact and deal with each other. They can use it to upload demo tapes, photos, and assignments. This, in turn, gives others the opportunity to provide feedback. Also, they can get to discuss and analyze different topics with students of the same field.
The Quick Lists
It is also called Playlists. It is the managed collection of all the video lessons of different classes that are of the same theme. Moreover, it highlights all the best moments from across different courses aside from being motivational.
Categories of MasterClass Courses
Continuing with our MasterClass review, let us take a look at the category of classes that you can learn on the platform. Below are the categories with classes that you can take.
Cooking and Culinary Arts
Gordon Ramsay teaches Cooking Alice Waters teaches Home Cooking Thomas Keller teaches Cooking Techniques Lynnette Marrero and Ryan Chetiyawardana teach Mixing Cocktails Wolfgang Puck teaches Cooking Dominique Ansel teaches French Pastry fundamental
Film and TV
Ron Howard teaches Film Directing Spike Lee teaches Film Directing Samuel L. Jackson teaches Acting Judd Apatow teaches Comedy Writing and Directing
Music and Entertainment
Usher teaches Performance Herbie Hancock teaches Jazz and Musical Improvisation Deadmau5 teaches Music Production/ Electronic Dance Music Timbaland teaches Producing and Beatmaking
Writing
R.L. Stine teaches Writing for Young Audiences Billy Collins teaches Poetry David Baldacci teaches Writing Thrillers
Sports and Games
Serena Williams teaches Tennis Stephen Curry teaches Shooting, Ball-handling, and Scoring Simone Biles teaches Gymnastics
Design, Photography, and Fashion
Marc Jacobs teaches Fashion Design Kelly Wearstler teaches Interior Design
Business, Politics, and Society
Bob Iger teaches Business Strategy and Leadership Bob Woodward teaches Investigative Journalism Karl Rove and David Axelrod teach Political Campaign Strategy and Messaging Paul Krugman teaches Economics and Society Doris Kearns Goodwin teaches U.S. Presidential History and Leadership
Science and Technology
Neil deGrasse Tyson teaches Scientific Thinking and Communication Will Wright teaches Game Design
Lifestyle
Bobbi Brown teaches Makeup and Beauty RuPaul teaches Self-expression and Authenticity Kelly Wearstler teaches Interior Design
MasterClass Versus Competitors
For this part of our MasterClass review, let us now take a look at a few competitors and how MasterCass stacks up.
MasterClass vs Udemy
Udemy offers a lot of online courses compared to MasterClass’ still-limited courses. The pricing that Udemy provides is flexible, and the instructors decide on the price of his class. This is a big edge over MasterClass’ fixed prices, which can only be either purchased at $90 or $180. However, MasterClass provides a great deal as the quality of what you will learn is superb. Also, the quality of the course materials that it offers is very impressive and beneficial to learners.
MasterClass vs Skillshare
Skillshare is much affordable compared to MasterClass as it only costs $99 a year. It also gives special offers upon signing up. It covers a lot of topics in different categories and provides a better classroom for learners. However, each course is usually short and can’t give enough knowledge about your chosen craft. With MasterClass, you’ll get to be taught by premium teachers and instructors, and the skills you are going to acquire are quite impressive.
MasterClass vs Great Courses
Both MasterClass and Great Courses offer a subscription service. While Great Courses is more expensive than MasterClass, it lets you stream hundreds of courses as well. In addition to this, they differ in terms of the quality of the videos and instructors. Although Great Courses instructors are knowledgeable in their fields, they are not as known as MasterClass’ roster of experts. Also Greater Courses’ videos can’t hold a candle to MasterClass’ professional-quality material.
MasterClass vs CreativeLive
CreativeLive is cheaper than MasterClass and offers a monthly pass or $39. The quality of classes that it provides is consistent. However, its classes lack focus as it spends so much time in multiple offerings. Even though it is a good online education platform, it is not into giving personal development skills like what MasterClass is doing. While MasterClass provides knowledge to a wide range of interests, CreativeLive suits well for those who are into digital media.
Pros and Cons of Using MasterClass
Before giving our final verdict for this MasterClass review, here are the pros and cons of enrolling in their classes.
The amazing quality of the videos User-friendly interface Accompanying workbook and homework assignments Online community A-list celebrity instructors Well-structured courses Wide range of topics Quick Lists With mobile app
No free trial Not downloadable courses Low community engagement
Is Masterclass Worth Subscribing To?
So what is our final verdict for this MasterClass review? Should you subscribe to this learning service? The answer depends on the person who will take the classes. If you are looking for an online education that has accreditation and gives certification, this is not the right service for you. However, it is an ideal platform if you are the one who wants to pursue your creativity and hone your skills. You can get to learn a lot of skills aside from the one you already have. Moreover, you get to access all the classes with your subscription. You can choose which is the right one for you. It might give you a shock to discover that you are a talented person after taking some of the classes that it offers. You can also bring out the best in you by taking the classes that suit your capabilities. In addition to this, you will be able to improve on your chosen craft. MasterClass allows you to become a productive person. It will add flavor to your career by giving you knowledge aside from what you have learned in traditional education.
MasterClass Is a Great Place to Learn
The instructors in this online education platform are well-known geniuses in their fields. The allure of MasterClass is that these popular people, who thrive at what they are doing, want to share their knowledge with you. Being in some of the classes that Masterclass offers will allow you to focus and improve your skills. In addition to this, MasterClass offers quality that most online education platforms cannot. You just have to pay attention to your chosen course, and you can be sure that you will have the best that MasterClass offers. You will get to learn and enjoy everything on it along the way.
