Sep 3, 2025 12:02 PM
Keeping the Flame at Van Gelder Studio
On the last Sunday of 2024, in the control room of Van Gelder Studio, Don and Maureen Sickler, co-owners since Rudy Van…
Herbie Hancock will teach his first ever online class exclusively with MasterClass.
(Photo: Courtesy MasterClass)The online education platform MasterClass has announced today composer/keyboardist Herbie Hancock will teach his first ever online class exclusively with MasterClass. The class is currently available for pre-enrollment starting today at www.masterclass.com/hh.
In his class, Hancock will discuss his approach to music and how it relates to his philosophy on life, illustrating many points while seated at a piano. The 14-time Grammy winner will draw upon life lessons acquired from throughout his lengthy career, from his bandstand days with Miles Davis through his genre-bending work as a bandleader and acclaimed solo artist.
He plans to deliver expert technical lessons for a wide audience: professional and amateur pianists, jazz performers, composers across all genres, lovers of music and jazz aficionados. Click below to see a preview.
Music has been central to Hancock throughout his entire life. By age 11, he had already gained recognition as a child piano prodigy and performed an impressive Mozart piano concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He went on to play jazz in high school and explored his passion for both electronics and science. In 1963, Hancock joined Miles Davis’ Second Great Quintet and was integral to many classic jazz recordings. Davis served as an inspiration and mentor for Hancock.
Hancock has became one of the most influential and revered jazz musicians of all time. His many accolades include being named a Kennedy Center Honoree, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, Institute Chairman of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, and Co-Chair of International Jazz Day. Hancock is an inductee in the DownBeat Hall of Fame and a recipient of The Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Now in the sixth decade of his professional life, Hancock is at the forefront of world culture, technology, business and music. He is currently in the studio at work on a new album and recently announced a world tour, which will include performances at the Montreaux Jazz Festival (July 2), the North Sea Jazz Festival (July 8), the Beacon Theatre in New York (Aug. 7), Powell Hall in St. Louis (Aug. 10), the Detroit Jazz Festival (Sept. 1) and the Monterey Jazz Festival (Sept. 15 and 17).
“Miles Davis taught me a lesson I’ll never forget: In jazz there are no mistakes,” Hancock said. “Every note you play is an opportunity to take your music further. That idea opened my ears to worlds of musical possibilities. In my class, I will share those ideas and help you discover your sound. Through lessons in harmony, rhythm, composition and improvisation, I will show you how to write and perform with freedom.”
“Herbie is simply amazing: He is not only a music legend, but he is devoted to helping the next generation of musicians,” said David Rogier, CEO and co-founder of MasterClass. “The depth and the joy with which he shares his craft is a revelation.”
MasterClass is an online education company that provides classes from world-renowned instructors. Each class offers a unique learning experience, which includes video lessons from the instructor, interactive exercises, course materials, peer interaction and more.
Based in San Francisco, MasterClass also offers online courses with these experts: Dustin Hoffman (acting), Werner Herzog (filmmaking), Aaron Sorkin (screenwriting), Deadmau5 (music production), Hans Zimmer (film scoring), Shonda Rhimes (writing for TV), Steve Martin (comedy) and David Mamet (dramatic writing).
All classes are available online for individual purchase at www.masterclass.com. DB
Don and Maureen Sickler serve as the keepers of engineer Rudy Van Gelder’s flame at Van Gelder Studio, perhaps the most famous recording studio in jazz history.
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