Go to the head of the... MasterClass

December 23, 2022 4:49 AM

I was gifted a MasterClass subscription. Have any MeFites used MasterClass and have recommendations about particularly great ones? Assume I'm willing to learn about any topic (except maybe whatever Kris Jenner is talking about). Thanks!
posted by nkknkk to Technology (9 answers total)

Best answer: Suddenly finding myself taking comedy writing, I hemmed and hawed and finally did what needed to be done to watch Steve Martin's class. If nothing else, he's an inspiring person, and spending time with him was invigorating.
posted by amtho at 5:03 AM on December 23, 2022 [3 favorites]

Best answer: Black History, Freedom & Love - I wish I had learned much of what I learned in that class much earlier in life. There are differing viewpoints at times, so it does challenge your own beliefs and thinking.

Cornel West Teaches Philosophy - is speaking to my soul.

Of the cooking ones, it may depend on dietary preferences, but I got a lot out of Thomas Keller’s part 1, and Madhur Jaffrey Teaches Indian Cooking. I’m partway through Dominique Crenn Teaches Modern Vegetarian Cooking, and while it’s fascinating to watch the techniques involved, there’s no way I’m going to spend all day making a melon salad!

I will be watching this with interest - I’ve got about 25 classes on my to-watch list, so need to figure out what is next.
posted by valleys at 5:08 AM on December 23, 2022 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I loved Alice Water's masterclass, but I'm also a big fan.
posted by 10ch at 7:55 AM on December 23, 2022 [2 favorites]

Best answer: I thought Bill Clinton's masterclass was interesting mainly to see that politician charisma in action and how he works to bring disparate parties together. Also loved Neil Gaiman's masterclass on creative writing.
posted by ichimunki at 7:57 AM on December 23, 2022 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I got a lot of great info from the Brandon McMillan dog training class
posted by waving at 8:18 AM on December 23, 2022 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Steph Curry on the basketball drills that he does. I don't play basketball, but I admire his humbleness and his ability to explain why he is so good.
posted by saturdaymornings at 9:17 AM on December 23, 2022 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I liked RuPaul on confidence & being yourself.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 10:00 AM on December 23, 2022

Best answer: Basically, the theme running through all of them (that I've watched) is respect. Respect your workers, respect your food ingredients, respect your readers, respect your characters, respect the laws of physics ...

The course materials vary, but some are well worth the price of admission alone

I've enjoyed:
Madhur Jaffrey - I watched it twice, and actually used a lot of the principles in my other cooking
Alice Waters - choose your food ingredients wisely and every meal is precious
Dominique Ansel - fantastic baked goods, never made anything, but I've eaten many of the items from their bakery
Yotam Ottolenghi - love his books, love his restaurants, so of course I loved the classes, great course materials, make the Shatta, it's great on everything
Mixology - so fun, great recipes and good basics & advanced techniques on barcraft
Thomas Keller I, II & III - one of their first series, so I watched them very closely and learned a lot. I don't care for the "refined" food as I think it creates a bit of waste, but I use the asparagus technique all the time
Niki Nakayama - watch it if only to know how to make great dashi
Dominique Crenn - ridiculous and fantastic elevation of simple vegetables
Neil Gaiman - fantastic, if only for the readings he does
Jake Shimabukuro - ukulele ... I'm not sure why I watched this one, it was fun
Judd Apatow - comedy, but also about character building. I think that's one of the things I appreciate about his characters, is that he gives a full treatment to minor characters instead of throwing them away, but it didn't quite get into that
Chris Voss - art of negotiation ... way too basic and not instructive
Roxanne Gay - writing for social change - I definitely got a lot of perspective, but I didn't do that exercises, so probably missed out on some of it
Black History, Freedom & Love - very invigorating, made me go out and read some books
Cornell West - philosophy, but really just about having an inquiring mind
Redefining Feminism - great look at some of the key feminists & their role as seen now (not as I experienced it as it was happening)
Steve Martin - read through the course materials, they're really good, but just watching the sessions is also entertaining
David Sedaris - amazing to watch, if not for the advise on writing, but how to have unique conversations with people
Bill Nye - great mini course on critical thinking & scientific method
Chris Hadfield - space, really about orbital mechanics and team building
Neil deGrasse Tyson - critical thinking and communication
Terence Tao - mathematics & problem solving, not as mathy as I was hoping, and didn't get into the kinds of work he does on a daily basis, which was disappointing for demystifying math
Ron Finley - gardening - great urban gardening and community building, but short

To make the most of it, really you have to look at the course materials. Some are great and they have some other interactive classes that are actually classes. I mostly used it as an alternative to narrative programming on my TV and that worked well for me. I had it for three years, but just turned off my subscription because my life was too intense for me to make use of it. I'll probably sign up again in a year of two.
posted by typetive at 10:40 AM on December 23, 2022 [2 favorites]

Best answer: I’ve heard good things about Penn & Teller’s.
posted by Comet Bug at 4:30 PM on December 23, 2022 [1 favorite]