With the rise of music streaming platforms and a lower cost of music production, it seems like the gap between the music stars you hear on the radio and the rest of the artist community is wider than ever.
Videos by American Songwriter
If your goal is to have the same level of success as someone else, there are two different routes you can take. The first is maintaining a dedication to your craft, making note of all the mistakes and lessons that come and consistently improving over time. These improvements do not have to be immediately dramatic, they can just be 1% per day. If you keep working and find a small way to improve daily, just by 1%, you will be 37 times better than you were at the start of the year. It’s just like compound interest with any investment: over time it yields significant results.
The second route, if you can find the opportunity, is much quicker: find an expert who can share their knowledge with you. That’s why American Songwriter is a huge fan of MasterClass. They take leaders in every industry and create a comprehensive course with them to share their expertise with the masses. With that, we wanted to share with you five MasterClasses that we thought were incredible from music legends like Reba McEntire, St. Vincent, Santana, Christina Aguilera, and Alicia Keys.
Top 5 MasterClasses
Reba McEntire Teaches Country Music
Reba is an American country music singer, actress, and businesswoman. Often referred to as “the Queen of Country”, she’s sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Reba has placed over 100 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, 25 of which reached the number one spot. Now, you can learn from her directly in her first-ever online class. She records a never-before-heard song, creates a new acoustic version of Fancy, breaks down her hits, and delivers emotional performances on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry.
St. Vincent Teaches Creativity and Songwriting
St. Vincent is an American musician, singer, songwriter, actress and producer. She’s a two-time Grammy Award Winner with a reputation for creating complex arrangements with a wide array of instruments. Now, She’s teaching how to explore your creativity, record music, write songs, improve your guitar skills, and embrace your vulnerability.
Carlos Santana Teaches the Art and Soul of Guitar
Carlos Santana rose to fame in the late 1960s with his band Santana. Rolling Stone magazine listed him as one of the greatest guitarists, he won 10 Grammy Awards, 3 Latin Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. Now, Carlos will teach you how to play guitar in his spiritual style where he weaves in emotion, artistic expression, and different genres to create a sound that connects with audiences.
Christina Aguilera Teaches Singing
Christina Aguilera is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she’s won 5 Grammy Awards, 1 Latin Grammy Award, 2 MTV Video Music Awards, 1 Billboard Music Award, among others. Now, she’ll teach you how to expand your range, find your voice, and master singing techniques in her MasterClass
Alicia Keys Teaches Songwriting and Producting
Alicia Keys is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Signed at 15 years old by Columbia Records, she’s won 15 Grammy Awards, 17 NAACP Image Awards, 9 Billboard Music Awards and 7 BET Awards. Now, she teaches how she writes lyrics, crafts melodies, and explores sonics in her MasterClass.
