Getting a young magician his first gig.

[Crossover]

My son is a 10 year old budding magician and is extremely talented. He recently saw a trick on Pen and Teller called "Call to the Colors" and was able to completely reverse engineer it.

Anyway I was looking for some advice on how to land him his first gig. It doesn't need to be paid I just want him to get the experience.

 

[Maaz Hasan]

Maybe just have him perform a show for friends and family members if you ever invite some over (or if you're invited somewhere). Obviously, don't force it upon them, but I'm sure they'll be glad to watch (unless it's one of those family members that mindlessly try and piss off your son for fun, then he'll just grow to hate performing for them. It's not every single family member, but every one knows that one uncle twice removed or whatever who just likes annoying the kid).

 

[RealityOne]

My son is a 10 year old budding magician and is extremely talented. He recently saw a trick on Pen and Teller called "Call to the Colors" and was able to completely reverse engineer it.

There are many different talents in magic - creativity, technical understanding, dexterity, knowledge, stage presence, scripting, acting, etc. A good magician balances all of those talents.

As I tell a lot of younger magicians, it is far easier to learn from good sources (mostly books) than to learn from YouTube or trying to reverse engineer something or trying to create something on your own. You need to learn the fundamentals and more before you strike out on your own to try to create anything.

If you son doesn't have it, I'd recommend Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic. It looks simplistic, but the underlying methods and techniques are of a significantly higher level.

Anyway I was looking for some advice on how to land him his first gig. It doesn't need to be paid I just want him to get the experience.

There are two separate issues here. The first is how to develop a show (for stage or parlor magic) or multiple sets (for walk-around or table hopping magic). The second is how to market that show so that you can perform it (paid or otherwise). The important thing is to develop the show and then to market it.

For a very young magician, like your son, there needs to be a higher level of skill and professionalism for him to be taken seriously. That doesn't mean that he pretends to be an adult, but instead plays to his strengths as a kid but is polished and proficient.

My suggestion is to look for opportunities to perform - talent shows, groups of friends, etc. Any performance experience is good.

Finally, there is a great book written by Joshua Jay called Over Under. That book is specifically written for young magicians and their parents. The best part is that it is available free on vanishing magic.com.

 

[Crossover]

Thanks for the tips. He is never shy about performing for friends and family and carries a deck with him wherever he goes. His Barber actually wants to give him his first gig at a party he is throwing. He has a growing book collection, but has learned a lot from youtube and another online service we paid for. He just went to a performing arts camp where he majored in magic and learned a pretty nice cups and balls routine which he performed at the end of his session.

I think his skill level is definitely there but he may need to work on his routine and that book sounds really interesting. If anyone wants to see where he is at now here he is performing call to the colors at home

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I can also upload the cups and balls routine which he did on a stage in front of a crowd but the quality isn't that great.

 

[Seth Hughes]

I performed at my first gig when I was 11. it was at a local library, And they seemed happy to let me do it.
Then again that was 6 years ago and a small town library, so things may be different for you. But still, try it out

 

[Crossover]

I performed at my first gig when I was 11. it was at a local library, And they seemed happy to let me do it.
Then again that was 6 years ago and a small town library, so things may be different for you. But still, try it out

Library is a great idea, we are in a pretty small town too. Thanks!

 

[RealityOne]

Thanks for the tips. He is never shy about performing for friends and family and carries a deck with him wherever he goes. His Barber actually wants to give him his first gig at a party he is throwing. He has a growing book collection, but has learned a lot from youtube and another online service we paid for. He just went to a performing arts camp where he majored in magic and learned a pretty nice cups and balls routine which he performed at the end of his session.

It sounds like he is off to a good start. Learning from YouTube is not the best. He may pick up wrong techniques that he has to relearn. I'd love to see a good filmed performance of the cups and balls -- that would really give a good sense of where he is.

I think his skill level is definitely there but he may need to work on his routine and that book sounds really interesting.

Again, off to a good start. I'd be glad to provide feedback through a private message (what we call "conversations") if you would like (to do so in a post would expose the method). His skill level is good, especially for his age, but the techniques he uses are not the best. The techniques are angle sensitive and have what we call "tells" - something that looks out of place which tells the audience that something is happening. Additionally, the effect isn't done correctly (or at least as done in the original -- I haven't seen the P&T clip). The alternating cards are dealt into a single pile, not two piles and the use of two piles telegraphs the method. Also, it is not necessary to deal through the whole deck if you use the correct method (which you are close to). Watch the performances by Martin Nash and Rene Levand (who can only use one hand) to get a sense of how the traditional effect is done.

Finally, the presentation has to draw the audience into the effect. Otherwise, it becomes "say, do, see" patter where you say what you want to do, do it and tell the audience to see what happened. That really telegraphs "look at what I can do" and the magic becomes about the magician's ability and not the audience's entertainment. The presentation has to answer the question of "why should the audience care?" Most performances by magicians today cannot answer that question. Your son has a good stage presence but he needs to develop a character and develop presentations that draw the audience in. My advice tends to go against the flow of "you can buy this today and perform it tomorrow by merely parroting what you are doing" marketing in magic.

I'm always willing to help with developing presentations and shows. Feel free to post a thread on that or start a conversation.

 

[RealityOne]

The original routine can be found in Bill Simon's 1952 book "Effective Card Magic" which was reprinted under the title "Card Magic for Amateurs and Professionals": https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Amateurs-Professionals-Dover-Books/dp/048640188X

 

[Crossover]

Thank you, I would love to start a conversation. Someone told us that trick was in a book called "Drawing Room Deceptions" by Guy Hollingworth and he told me this was the method he is using.

Anyway here is his cups and balls routine:

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The table they gave him had a lip so it makes it a bit harder to see.

Thank you for all of your input

 

[Marcel]

May be a slightly off topic but a few things I would suggest are, Do Not over inflate him when he performs for you. Call him out on mistakes and overall areas he needs to smooth out. Encourage more practice. Also a great place I went to as a young boy was a summer camp called West Coast Wizards (in CA). Not sure if it’s still around but I remember it being everything to me when I was a kid. It helped me accelerate my skill level, expand my creative side, as well as make some very cool friends and mentors. When I was that age I also would have my mom drop me off at every lecture I could go to. I was fortunate enough that my area and local magic shop had more than few. The way I first started doing paid gigs was through joining a group of magicians, I responded to an add for try outs. I preformed a trick for the leader, my magician friend I went with also preformed a trick, as well as several others. I was selected and my friend wasn’t. I was the youngest member in the group of teens. Anyways the leader would rent out small auditoriums where we would do live paid stage shows, each of the groups members doing an illusion for the crowd. This all took place for me between the ages of 10-13 & really prepared me for the next chapter of my life. Feeling confident on stage helped me in so many other areas of life and school, such as public speaking, being comfortable around people i do not know, reading body language, and decision making skills.
Next time he’s begging you to purchase another trick or drive him somewhere, I would leverage having him solve advanced math equations (higher than his grade level). If he can dial into achieving advanced mathematical skills so many more doors will open for him in life. Skipping grade levels in school, taking AP math classes is only the beginning.
Hope this helped, & came off the right way, not trying to tell you how to raise your son.
Best wishes and all the luck in the future. ✍️

 

[Marcel]

Thank you, I would love to start a conversation. Someone told us that trick was in a book called "Drawing Room Deceptions" by Guy Hollingworth and he told me this was the method he is using.

Anyway here is his cups and balls routine.

. The table they gave him had a lip so it makes it a bit harder to see.

Thank you for all of your input

I went to a Guy Hollingsworth lecture when I was that age. I still have the lecture notes. Thank my mom for driving me the hour it took and waiting outside. Great magician.

 

[RealityOne]

Thank you, I would love to start a conversation. Someone told us that trick was in a book called "Drawing Room Deceptions" by Guy Hollingworth and he told me this was the method he is using.

The original effect is by Bill Simon from 1952. There is a version in Drawing Room Deceptions. I'm traveling but will check the Guy Hollingworth's method when I return next week.

Anyway here is his cups and balls routine. The table they gave him had a lip so it makes it a bit harder to see.

Again, a very good start.