D SPOTLIGHT education
back to CONTENTS
MASTER CLASS
If I was asked to name one thing the pandemic taught us, it would be the value of spending time at home perfecting skills. Some learnt to acquire new talents necessary for survival, some diversified to follow changing demands and others – having newly found free time on their hands – explored their life-long aspirations. So, would you like to learn to play tennis from Serena Williams, writing from Margaret Atwood or cooking from Gordon Ramsey? If the answer is yes, a MasterClass membership may be perfect for you. WORDS BY MADDIE QUINN
L
aunched back in 2015 in San Francisco, the celebrityinspired MasterClass learning platform has quickly gained momentum and gone from strength to strength as gradually, new classes were added. Professionals who have become well known and respected in their industry were encouraged to give a little something back to the community and create video lessons accessible to viewers
76 / JUNE 2021 ESSENTIAL MAGAZINE
from all over the world. Little did they know that with the global pandemic, the interest in online courses was to explode and they were to capture the world’s heart with their beautifully captivating video campaign delivered all over social media. Or maybe they did. You must have seen the teaser for Gordon Ramsey’s cooking class that has so far attracted over 95 million views on YouTube. If you never clicked
on that Facebook ad and are wondering what MasterClass is all about, read on.
WHAT IS MASTERCLASS?
MasterClass is not education in the traditional sense and doesn’t come with certification. Rather it’s a peak through a window into the world of people who became recognised and respected in their field. Creativity can’t be taught but they can walk you through their