Children are Cruel

[RickEverhart]

Now that I have your attention...ha ha.

I'm reading and enjoying "The Magician and the Cardsharp". On page 142 it makes note that Allen Kennedy and Dai Vernon always had practice sessions in which they recruited children as observers to monitor their progress.

"Children were cruel, Vernon liked to say, which he meant in a good way. They were helpful to a sleight of hand man because they were incapable of being cagey."

For example, if he were to palm a card and the children saw it, they would go ahead and announce it. That was helpful to a magician. Whereas an adult who just witnessed the same sleight and saw the card palmed may be too polite to say anything.

"If a trickster could fool some blunt kids with a slight performed right under their noses, he might be getting somewhere after all."

This is really interesting and definitely true. I get to practice my effects for my own children at home as well as my 4th graders at school. I know that when things fly by them, it is getting closer to being polished.

 

[Chris W]

Interesting post Rick. My comment would be what about if the routine goes over the head of a child? What if it's something that you have to be a bit more mature to understand? Obviously, some patter might not make sense to them as well. How do you over come this with your 4th graders? Thoughts? I am usually good with my high school kids that I teach! haha

 

[RickEverhart]

Hey Chris, by no means am I talking about doing a complicated patter routine that is over the children's heads. Sorry about the confusion. What Dai Vernon was saying was perfecting the sleight or move in front of a group of children is great practice because they are way more suspect to catch something and will call you out on it right away. I will simplify an adult routine so that my students understand it just so I can practice a complicated move to see if it goes unnoticed. Then when I have done it over and over and over again at school to kids in the hallways, I know I'm getting ready to show it to adults to see how it plays.

 

[Chris W]

Gotcha. I figured that is what you meant, but wanted to clarify. I would love to practice some magic on my students again this year. I have been figuring a way to through in a quick routine about Probability in my Algebra I class. The first day of school I had a kid I've never met ask me to do a magic trick. Unfortunately it was right before the bell rang so I wasn't able to.

Do your kids come up to you and ask you to do stuff still? Is that when you bust our your practice material? Or do you still do the Friday trick day when your kids behave (if was something like that....can't really remember)?

 

[RickEverhart]

My students get to see a new magic trick EVERY Friday when they behave and all the homework was handed in. As far as practice material, I do that when I in walking the halls or on the playground doing recess duty at times. Sometimes there are kids who show up early to school or are waiting on rides after the bell. I am always on the lookout for opportunities to perform and practice.