Online Courses to Take if You Want to Make It in the Music Business | Music - Variety

Hitmaker Timbaland is the latest artist to join MasterClass, an online learning platform that’s tapping into the expertise of celebrities, industry leaders, and newsmakers to offer on-demand classes for busy professionals hoping to learn a new skill or hobby.

Photo: MasterClass

Timbaland’s course, released last week, focuses on producing and beat-making, something the Grammy-winning rapper and producer has mastered over the years, as the man behind the boards for artists like Missy Elliott, Justin Timberlake, and Beyonce. The 15-lesson course features video and audio lessons from Timbaland, who touches on everything from the elements of beatboxing, to layering vocals, harmony, and texture. The course also includes an introduction to audio engineering, along with stories of how Timbaland created some of his most memorable hits, like Jay-Z’s “Dirt Off Your Shoulders” and Aaliyah’s “Are You That Somebody?” The course also includes two new songs and stems that students can use to craft their own remix, or use as a foundation for their original beats...

Timbaland is just one of more than a dozen musicians teaching on MasterClass. Other popular courses include Christina Aguilera teaching singing, Herbie Hancock teaching the elements of jazz and musical improvisation, and Academy Award winner Hans Zimmer teaching film scoring.

MasterClass says each course is comprised of an average of 24 lessons, with each lesson taking about 10-12 minutes to complete. Course materials can be downloaded for offline reading, and students can log onto the site 24/7 to view the instructional videos, or take their learning to go with the MasterClass app. The site says their goal is to not only provide people with access to top talent, but to make it as unintimidating and convenient as possible...

As for MasterClass, the site currently has more than 50 different course offerings. A single class costs $90, though there is also a $180 unlimited pass that gets you instant access to all the courses on the site. Offerings currently include everything from Serena Williams teaching tennis, to Aaron Sorkin on screenwriting, and an adventure photography course from recent documentary feature Oscar winner Jimmy Chin (who took home the Oscar for directing the climbing epi, “Free Solo”).
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Source: Variety