I am 16 and I have my first semi-official gig coming up in September at a party for little kids.
Congratulations. The key here is that you need to do a show rather than a series of tricks. The presentation is extremely important in that you need to be ENTERTAINING.
I have done magic for groups of adults and teens, but the children will be 5-7 years old so I know some things that require more comprehension will not work.
Agreed. You need to keep the effects easy to comprehend. But then again, if your spectator in any performance can't explain what happened in a sentence, then your magic is too complicated.
I was thinking that tricks that are more visual will be the best idea such as dress code and maybe a sequence using Messado Rings and maybe some things with flash paper.
It depends on what you mean as visual. Typical magician eye candy doesn't do well with kids. The props need to be larger and more visual. Messado Rings is close up - for a kids show you want standard 10 or 12 inch rings. Don't use flash paper or other with kids aged 5 to 7. It is likely to upset the parents.
I think that kids shows are a great way to make some extra cash and imo they are actually easier to perform.
I disagree. Kids are more challenging to perform because they won't sit politely and watch if your show sucks. They will express their opinion -- either verbally or by acting up (wandering around, talking to their friends or causing other disruptions.
I'd say stick to the classics (closing book, sponge balls, thumb tip, mouth coils, color changing hanky,rope tricks, etc.). The more visual the better. Avoid card tricks if possible (unless it is something visual like manipulation). Kids don't really understand the values of the cards so pick a card tricks will fall flat.
Classics work well, but make sure there is strong magic and presentation. A bunch of quick, simple "visual" tricks will have them lose interest quickly. I assume you mean coloring book -- I would avoid that because it requires a really good magician to do anything that isn't hackned and trite.
Effects with cards work as long as the effect simply requires remembering the name of a single card. I"ve successfully done a lot of card tricks for that age group such as the invisible deck, color separations, card to impossible location (wallet, nested boxes, etc.). Aldo Colombini and Rachel Wild Colombini have some great kids card effects such as Punch My Match (using two hole punches) and Animal Capers.
Fire is definitely gunna get their attention. Just make sure you are extremely careful and never ignite flash paper in close proximity to your audience.
DO NOT USE FIRE. You are in someone's home and if a piece of flash paper hits a sofa or the carpet and singes it, do you have enough money to replace it? If a child sees you lighting a piece of flash paper with a lighter and try it at home with a regular piece of paper and burn themselves, what will you say to the parents?
How long would you recommend a show to last? I was thinking around 30 minutes and then I'll walk around during the party and do some close up stuff.
Do 30 minutes without the walk around. The kids will have moved on to other things (like cake) and will be difficult to keep their attention.
Thank you so much, and my final question would be, how much would you say to charge? I haven't charged them yet because the show isn't until September and I told them I'd get back to them. Again thank you very much.
I really need some context to answer this question. Who is hiring you (is it a friend of the family or someone who saw you perform)? How did they ask you (was it in the sense of giving you an opportunity to perform or hiring you to perform)? How good are you (how long have you been performing and what groups have you performed for)?
This is a question that people ask me quite frequently. Honestly there is no real answer. It all depends on several factors; Your experience, who the event is for, how many people will be there, is it strolling or formal close-up, is it private or public, is it family or corporate, is it a wedding... all of these things factor together.
Good advice. I suspect charging around $75 would be reasonable without knowing the circumstances. I would let them know that you normally charge $150 but you are doing shows at half that rate to get our name out there. That way, you can gradually raise your rate ("well, I used to give 50% discounts, but now I'n only doing a $50 discount).
Also, don't be afraid to negotiate a price with them too. Sometimes if I know I want at least $200 an hour I may quote them $250 an hour and give room to negotiate. That way if I say $200 per hour, they can't lowball you.
From a business standpoint, you are better off having a standard rate and not negotiating. That avoids people paying different prices for the same service.
In both cases it's not about the card as much as what the card is doing. But this makes a card trick all about showmanship so use at your own discretion.
Excellent advice and good recommendations
Based on my experience, the more you can get children to participate the better. I love using a Rising Card Deck ( or Sleeper) and making them believe that they are in fact causing the effect to happen. Smoke magic works good to as long as it is done in a way that makes sense and mysterious way. Fire will always get their attention, just remember to be careful with it because you will never know how children react to it. And of course the classics are excellent workers for kids.
Good advice, but again, NO FIRE WITH KIDS!
I always recommend an opening that is quick and to the point but highly visual. Remember children have a very short attention span. If you could afford it, something along the lines of Pyro, Meteors, or Bowl-A-Rama would work wonders in this situation but let's assume you are on a budget. I would perhaps make a coin or small object appear or disappear in a cloud of smoke if you are able to do that. It's quick and easy to understand and now you would have their attention.
After you have a solid opening, I would then ask for a volunteer because then the children want to be a part of something they now think of as cool. At this part it would be great if you could give them souvenier effect such as The Gift. This will keep the children's attention because now they want to not only be a part of your show, they want to be good and get a free gift. You can vary this part of routine with several different effects that gets the children involved and possibly gives away souveniers.
To close, I would do an effect that they will remember better than any other effect. Fire would be good here, dove magic if you are familiar with it (children love seeing animals), or maybe a mouth coil if you could really sell it.
If you want, write up a routine of what you are thinking and I as well as others can give you feedback on it. That's what I try to do when I'm about to perform a gig.
Did I mention....NO FIRE!!!! NO THROWING FIREBALLS. NO SMOKE.
Children's magic depends on presentation and entertainment value, not fire, smoke and quick visual tricks. You want to get their interest for the show and not just their attention for a split second.
