What's Your MasterClass?
You too can be a MasterClass instructor, just like Bill Clinton, Gordon Ramsey, and Samuel L. Jackson.
The term “master class” dates to 1884, assuming that Wikipedia is not lying to us, and, honestly, if you can’t trust Wikipedia, then perhaps you can’t trust used car salesmen either, or politicians, or chiropodists (honestly, I have no idea what a chiropodist does - I inserted it here for comedic value - how’d I do?). And, if we can’t trust these three groups of professionals, isn’t that, in fact, an indictment of all groups of professionals? And, isn’t that tantamount to an indictment of the American way of life itself? Well, I, for one, do not intend to stand here, and have you bad-mouth the United States of America. I think young Eric Stratton, a key member of the Delta Tau Chi fraternity at Faber College, says it quite eloquently in the attached clip:
Animal House - Deltas on Trial
Wikipedia indicates that a master class involves an expert of a particular discipline teaching students, but engaging in one-on-one training during the course of the class. In addition to concert performers representing a typical master class setting, hundreds of years ago, Wikipedia cites a series of twenty lectures delivered by a British mathematician, mathematical physicist, and engineer, William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin (one must admire the fact that this gentleman sported three distinct occupational titles, as well as a handful of slightly incongruous names), in 1884, as constituting master classes. These lectures focused on molecular dynamics, and the wave theory of light - heady, intellectual stuff, indeed!
MasterClass certainly includes heady, intellectual stuff as well, amongst its lineup of online offerings, including such topics as: Inclusive Leadership (Bill Clinton), the Art of Negotiation (Chris Voss), and Mindfulness and Meditation (Jon Kabat-Zinn), but also offers lighter fare such as:
Poker (Daniel Negreanu) - Perhaps Mr. Negreanu advises not to bet the farm, if you are only holding two “threes”? It seems as if that bit of wisdom could be imparted in less time than the 7 hours, 40 minutes of videos provided by MasterClass.
Wilderness Survival (Jessie Krebs) - I’m signing up for this one right now, if I can learn how not to get eaten by a bear, when hiking.
The Science of Better Sleep (Matthew Walker) - First, don sleepwear; then, climb into bed; finally, close your eyes. If Mr. Walker ever needs to take a sabbatical, I believe I’m fully equipped to step-in and conduct this seminar.
Creating Outside the Lines (Issa Rae) - I think I’ve already taken this class, taught by Miss Belfield, in a first-grade class at Joseph Sears Elementary School, in Kenilworth, Illinois, in 1967. Only, I think we were taught to color inside the lines - hmmm. . .
Ukulele (Jake Shimabukuro) - The only question I have regarding this one is, In the product-development focus group work performed prior to unveiling Mr. Shimabukuro’s class, was tremendous demand detected for learning this particular skill?
Reading and Writing Poetry (Billy Collins) - This apparent “twofer” is intriguing to me - I can accept that I might learn something from Mr. Collins regarding how to craft poems, but is it possible that I’m simply not doing it right, when I read a poem?
Spray-Painting & Abstract Art (Futura) - Now, I’m not familiar with Futura (Mr. Futura?), but I have to imagine that he is both an abstract artist, and a spray-painting professional. This is brilliant marketing, because his class is likely to attract two distinct types of students: those who aspire to create abstract art; and those who want to paint cars, or houses for a living.
The Power of Resilience (Hillary Rodham Clinton) - No doubt instruction regarding how to recover from the constant barrage of inclusive leadership ever-present in her household.
As any business must evolve in order to remain relevant, I imagine that MasterClass is always on the lookout for new product offerings. As I ready my application to join their august team of online teachers, I am considering a number of potential topics, including:
Becoming an Award-Winning Columnist - First, publish a weekly column; next, purchase a number of trophies from the local trophy shop; finally, produce photos of yourself surrounded by these trophies, and constantly remind your readers of your award-winning status. I’ll see if I can share these valuable tips to MasterClass subscribers in fewer than the seven hours, forty minutes of videos it takes Mr. Negreanu to educate viewers about poker. Here’s a pro tip: Try to avoid purchasing trophies which include figures performing very specific tasks, such as skiing, bowling, or baseball - affixing a gold plate to the base of the trophy, declaring the awardee to be, “World’s Best Columnist,” doesn’t appear to counteract the perception fostered by the visual representation of the figure - I learned that lesson the hard way.
Avoiding a Trip to the Chiropodist - My contention is that most people, like me, have no idea what a chiropodist does, but it sure sounds ominous, so MasterClass subscribers will flock to these instructional videos, in order to avoid having to seek their services. The challenge for me, of course, will be in developing the content. My plan is to repurpose some of the many, many cooking MasterClass videos, and simply edit the audio track as necessary, replacing words such as: braise, reduction, and basil, with appropriate substitutes such as: diagnose, malady, and cold compress. I’ll probably stay away from Gordon Ramsey’s videos, however - he just seems too angry all the time.
Adhering to the Rule of Three - This option has a certain appeal, inasmuch as I’m inherently lazy, and, rather than creating new content for MasterClass, I’d like to simply dust-off bits of wisdom which have been imparted during the past year-and-a-half. Plus, the brand could use a boost.
Perhaps you consider yourself an expert in some specific pursuit. I encourage you to join me, and Bill Clinton, Gordon Ramsey, and Samuel L. Jackson, and others, on the faculty of MasterClass. I know that Seinfeld’s George Costanza is likely to join us any day now, with his “Pretending to be an Architect” series.
Remember, everyone is a master of something, so why not get paid to teach others? I hear teachers get the summer off.
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