Thanks Hudson.

He's a little young for that now (9) and still has a lot to learn locally. Maybe in the future.

Sometimes I think the club should take on more of the mentoring and the student should earn the help with diligence. Maybe I'm old school but these schools seem like a big expense.

-Mary Mowder

Mary - don't disagree at all. I'm a big believer that we we make our own destiny. At the end of the day, if someone wants to be a good magician they need to put in thousands of hours of practice -- quality practice. I don't believe there are any shortcuts. Some people learn quicker than others, but that is at the margin. At 9 I doubt he is a real magician, more of an apprentice.

For you, do the best you can and that's all there is to do. Whether you win an award is not why we become magicians - it is to entertain and thrill audiances. If you win, great, and if you don't, oh well ... Here's hoping you do win.

Best of luck!

Hudson

Actually, I never go in "about winning" anymore. I use the Contest as a challenge to create new material, a commercial act, etc... This year the challenge is the themed act.

I do like to Win but occasionally my project precludes writing what I consider a "Winning Act" I.E. my strongest Magic with Magic on the technical side (that tends to get the votes).

I do Win fairly often though.

-Mary Mowder

Hello all! Sorry I have been absent for some time. Since I don't perform regularily, I realized it is hard for me to commit to a set practice for specific effect or routine when I don't neccessarily know what my goal is. That being said I have benefited from the wonderful lectures that my club has provided. Since February, we have had Eric Jones, Aaron Fisher, Dick Oslund, William Houston, and Bill Wisch! I have got some wonderful ideas, philosophy and inspiration to figure out what I need to work on. So if I don; have a specific goal I either select a few sleights that I would like to improve upon or one or two effects that I would like to come up with a routine that I can eventually slip into a performance. Having done this, I now have several pocket effects that I carry with me so I can practice in real life when approached. I have also added a few effects into my full time job as an environmental educator, and that has been fun! My wife's Easter Egg Hunt was moved inside and she didn't have anything to take the place of the outdoor games she had planned. So at midnight the night before I tole her I would put a show together and I performed about 20 minutes for about 30 9 and under plus paretns and grandparents. I was asked to perform for our club this coming Monday so Tuesday I put my routines together and have been practicing each night. I wrote to scripts for two effects and the rest is ready to go. I found a great routine from Bill Severn called the Five Straw Trick which is like 6 card repeat, but with straws. I'm not a big card guy. So there you go, that's what I have been up to. I'll let you know how Monday goes! Laurie, your farm idea at the Farmers idea is brilliant! Excellent idea. I would like to know what you come up with. We just started a farm with a CSA at the Nature Center that I work for. I can totally see possibilities there in the future. Good Luck putting that together! Mary, I always love reading your input to this thread. Hello to Jim, Andrew, Hudson and welcome Edwin. Jim, did I miss something with the Secret Session SideKick Thread? Am I welcome to this? Please inform me. Keep practicing and don't forget to smile!

Pete

Pete,
You will need 50 posts before you can see the Secret Session area of the Café.

Welcome back!

Hudson

Thanks Hudson! Got a good practice session in yesterday afternoon, plus I rehearsed my patter while mowing the lawn!

Pete

Sometimes I put my patter on my I pod and listen while Mowing the lawn.

Great minds.

-Mary Mowder

Mary,
You are a cut above the rest!(Oops, did I start that again!)

Pete

Hey Pete, how did it go Monday Night?

-Mary

Thanks for asking Mary. It actually went well. I got a lot of compliments. I know I was nervous and felt it could have definitely went better from a flow stand point. I will say this. I added a last minute opening effect, but my first effect the Five Straw Trick and my closer Gene Anderson's Son of Morning really felt smooth and those were the two items I practiced the most. You could say the Sandwich theory worked well. Strong beginning and end with some good stuff in the middle. My escape style effect needed more practice with live volunteers and more time to get my patter down. The program for next month is Stage magic so I may do some nature stuff if the bill isn't filled. I've been doing some stuff at work that I would like to tie together for a 6-8 minute routine.
The more practice the better we get.

Pete

The Close-Up Contest took place tonight. I took 2nd place and I thought that was fair. I made a mistake and the 1st place winner didn't.

I wish I'd seen his performance clear through but we were having trouble with the video taping so I couldn't watch it live and I don't have it on tape. I do know that what I did watch live was good and I enjoyed it.

He was also on a theme (friendship) which I thought was very positive.

My theme went over very well (optimism and pessimism) and I was pleased for the most part.

We did have a big noise pollution problem. We had a meeting room with a room divider going partially through the center. There were two tables set up at opposite ends of the room with two sets of performers working each half and trading at the half way point. It was really hard for the spectators to hear over the sound bleed from the other half of the room and that made it hard on all the performers as well. I guess it was fair because we all had the same problem but I wish we had a better venue. If we perform for every one at once there is not a noise problem but it isn't really Close-Up unless they can be close.

-Mary Mowder

Congratulations! I have never entered a contest for magic. Do you know the joke about the two boys who are an optimist and a pessimist and put in a room with the pile of horse manure?

_Pete

Sure do! I like that joke but I didn't use it in my act.

Contests are nerve-wracking and you can mess up something relatively easy if you aren't careful.

You should get in a contest, at least locally. My advice is, unless it is a high level contest, stick to the things you can do easily and well and concentrate on the presentation.

Often the ones trying to do things that are out of their comfort level get nervous and blow it.

I've done both and I've learned every time, 1st place or not.

Contests make you focus and focus on time as well. I believe participation in contests has really speeded my progress as a Magician. If you try it don't get hung up on placing, just think about entertaining and you'll give your best performance.

-Mary Mowder

Mary,

Thank you! That is good stuff! Monday night I was doing a lot of new stuff and it was liking trying to rub my belly and pat my head at the same time. Too much thinking and not enough flow. I can see how that would relate under the pressure of a contest. As I said the stuff that flowed the best was that which I practiced most even though I hadn't performed it much.

On that same regard, to everyone in this thread how do you go about practicing an effect/routine that requires a volunteer, but having a volunteer available really isn't an option until your performance?

Thank you,

Pete

Depends on what you're trying to practice.

I'm embarrassed to say some of my fixes. It would help to be limber and young for some of these (which I'm not).

You'll never be able to practice a classic force alone but if it's a random card or number you need, cut the cards or roll the dice or open to a random page #. You can also open a book or let the TV come up with a word at random.

I've used a wedged in broom and (blush) my big toes for a spectator's thumb(s). Make sure you have a practice or washable loop for that one. I've used my own ankle for the wrist tie.

Clothes pins for pinching fingers, a Chair back to tie large version Grand Mothers Necklace. Doing things behind your back. Some times you've got to get creative.

For things like wrist ties Straight Jacket etc... you may have to trade favors with a spouse i.e. store trip for 10 tie ups or lock ups no more than 3 at a time. Tom and I are both Magicians so we trade being spectators with a limit of 5 tries.

If it's escapes you're trying to practice you might see if the folks in the "All Tied Up" forum have come up with some creative solutions.

-Mary Mowder

Mary- Congrats, lady!

BTW, I practice the Classic Force alone all the time, and ALWAYS get it right...

Jim

Well, I spent a month practicing and, more or less, perfecting (as much as one can without putting it regularly in front of an audience) my unicycle straitjacket escape. Perfect technique, good showmanship, and the beginnings of a patter set.

Then the person who had given it to me demanded it returned to them.

So, just two weeks before I arrive in England I am left rearranging and adding to my street routine. For the first time ever I'm learning some simple silks tricks, and pushing my rope routine to the end as my finale.

So, my new practice schedule has become, by necessity, about an hour a day of practice/routining. Half an hour of that is devoted to perfecting my new silks effects, and the other half is devoted to keeping my other tricks fresh in my mind (I'm not performing regularly anymore until the trip). I'll do that through Sunday.

I'm back in NYC now, so I'm hoping to hit the streets early next week before I leave on the 10th (Queen Mary 2, woot!) to get in some practical street practice for two hours a day, doing my full show for real people, not specifically for money, but just as practice.

A lot more intense schedule to keep to now, but hopefully it'll pay off.

Everybody must be relentlessly practicing or Summer has begun! I am flying to Disney and Universal tomorrow. Two quick questions if youcan answer them prior to 10 am tomorrow.

1) What is okay to travel with on the plane so I can practice? I don't do cards. I would like to practice my professor's nightmare, but our ropes allowed?
I figure coins are okay. TT? Do I wear it through security or have it loosely in my carry-on or pack it with my check on. Rubber bands? Spongeballs? Any other ideas?

2) Any places Magic related I should not miss? We are heading to Harry Potter World at universal.

Thank you any words of wisdom is appreciated.

I hope you are all doing well!

Pete

I wouldn't physically practice on the plane. You should be able to carry rubber bands, thread, dollar bills, ring, ropes, but not the knives.

You can always work on mnemonic systems and such.

Are you talking about Disney in Southern California? Will you have time to go to the Magic Castle?

I'm on the last 4 days before my 1st Library Show, my IPOD just broke and I've been told that not all of the new IPODs work with my sound control system. DOU!
The Show seems good though so maybe I'll just work with the disk player and solve the IPOD problem later.

-Mary Mowder

Break a leg Mary! No I will be in Orlando!

Thanks!

Pete