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MasterClass offers online lessons from the best of the best

masterclass online classes serena williams
Lev Raddin/Shutterstock
Have you always wanted to be an actor? Maybe a writer, or tennis player? For those with a passion who have never had the means or the time to learn from the pros, have no fear, the Internet is here.

Launching today, MasterClass is bringing the best and the brightest from a host of professional fields directly into your home to give you a lesson in their trade. Two-time Academy Award winner Dustin Hoffman is teaching a class on acting, the number one-ranked women’s tennis player in the world, Serena Williams, is giving a tennis lesson, and world-renowned author James Patterson is showing how to craft a good story, delivered to the comfort of your living room.

“We pair world-class instructors with Hollywood directors and Silicon Valley engineers to create an entirely new online learning experience. That experience is MasterClass,” said David Rogier, MasterClass co-founder and CEO, in a press release.

Each “teacher” has developed his or her own curriculum, allowing each instructor to build instructions around what worked best for them and their style. MasterClass has also teamed with education experts to help instructors develop the best methods of educating students.

“We created the kind of online classes we’d be excited to take, from the people we’d love to learn from,” said Aaron Rasmussen, MasterClass co-founder, creative director, and CTO.

Each MasterClass is priced at $90 and includes 10-25 video lessons from instructors, interactive exercises, learning materials, lifetime access to classes that never expire, and access from any browser on any device. That way, if you hit the tennis court and want to learn from Serena Williams, you can get the class right on your phone and never miss a beat. The first set of classes are directed by Jay Roach (Austin Powers and Meet the Parents) and two-time Academy Award winning documentarian Bill Guttentag.

Classes are available now at the service’s website. Future classes will feature singer Usher and legendary photographer Annie Leibovitz and will be available in the coming months, with more classes arriving throughout the year.

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