Using School As A Training Ground

[VladiD]

If you are like me then you always learn an effect until you know you can perform it without flaws. But I think that theres only so much you can learn an effect/trick at home. In my opinion you cannot learn the trick to its fullest until you perform it and improve it based on the performance.

I think school is a great training ground for this. There you will encounter probably the worst of the worst of hecklers. If you can deal with that then you will be ready for performing on the streets.

For example I have been practicing Bullet for about a week now, a little more. I decided to finally show it to a few people at school. Some were wowed and others heckled me a lot more. Things like handing out the bottle after the first penetration can make an effect stronger and I realized that after performing today. ( my bullet is kind of a mix of the original and the Airborne).

How many of you do this? What are your thoughts?

 

[MitchellStafiej]

Performing for ANYONE is a great training ground. No matter who it is, if you perform live for anyone you will get a valuable learning experience.

Mitchell

 

[Krash]

Performing for ANYONE is a great training ground. No matter who it is, if you perform live for anyone you will get a valuable learning experience.

Mitchell

I agree with you.

...To a point...

Although I do believe that performing for ANYONE is a greating training proceedure, regardless of who it is...you may want to make sure that you know when and when not to perform.

I mean, I love magic as much as the next forum member. I also know which places are good for performing and what places aren't. I must say that I don't believe that school is a place for such things. Learn all that you can in school. As we know by J. Bayme himself...it is quite a possibilty to cause an uproar in places like a cafeteria.

However, I don't see why performing at school...AFTER or BEFORE school starts would hurt anything. Just make sure that you have whatever situation you choose to put yourself in, in control.

With that said.

Have fun, and good luck!

Shane K.

 

[MitchellStafiej]

I agree with you.

...To a point...

Although I do believe that performing for ANYONE is a greating training proceedure, regardless of who it is...you may want to make sure that you know when and when not to perform.

I mean, I love magic as much as the next forum member. I also know which places are good for performing and what places aren't. I must say that I don't believe that school is a place for such things. Learn all that you can in school. As we know by J. Bayme himself...it is quite a possibilty to cause an uproar in places like a cafeteria.

However, I don't see why performing at school...AFTER or BEFORE school starts would hurt anything. Just make sure that you have whatever situation you choose to put yourself in, in control.

With that said.

Have fun, and good luck!

Shane K.

I disagree with you. Many days at lunch students will find themselves eating and doing nothing else. I believe that is the opportunity to perform. Obviously studying and homework is important but that should have been done previously AT HOME. Where it is supposed to be done.

Mitchell

 

[Krash]

I disagree with you. Many days at lunch students will find themselves eating and doing nothing else. I believe that is the opportunity to perform. Obviously studying and homework is important but that should have been done previously AT HOME. Where it is supposed to be done.

Mitchell

Fair enough, and I can respect that view.

Then again, I always was one of those dorky kids who seemed to be able to finish his homework within ten minutes of it being assigned. I've been told by many of teacher in elemetery school that I had a rushing problem. But, now I've got that under control being in college.

As I said before, have fun and good luck!

Shane K.

 

[JackOSpadesNik]

I agree with you completely.

I go through a couple phases to perform a trick.

First I learn and practice. Then I practice in front of a mirror. Then it's mom tested. Then I perform in a crowd at school.

I lost my nervousness and am a better performer by performing at school. I've improved my magic rapidely ever since I started performing at school and people notice.

 

[xvi37]

haha i agree performing at school is pretty good.. i've started to perform panic like about 2 days ago and today was pretty much the first day i started performing it out at work. I think the only problem i have with it is that.. i have no ideaa where to put the gimmicks when im finished with vanishing of the deck lols.. like ill try to put it in my other pocket or so but like what if someones looking or whatever? any ideas on how i can improve with that?

 

[Timbo18]

Personally, I stopped performing in school last year. The reason for this being was that I found that there was some stress that was coming to me from magic that I wasn't even aware of at the time. This stress came from a number of different things:

1)People showing up in the middle of a trick and then constantly pestering me to do what I was just doing for the one person again.

2) My routines did not progress because I'd be in the middle of one for one person, and some person that's already seen the routine I'm performing would walk in and start watching and I can't repeat the routine for him or else he might catch on.

3) My magic started becoming a puzzle for my friends. Obviously, they know I'm no Harry Potter so they'd start trying to figure out the methods, and this really frustrated me.


I think I've improved a lot since I stopped performing in school. I no longer have that stress and it feels a lot better so I can concentrate better on school, which is really why I'm there in the first place.
-Timbo

 

[arcangeld]

3) My magic started becoming a puzzle for my friends. Obviously, they know I'm no Harry Potter so they'd start trying to figure out the methods, and this really frustrated me.

I can relate to this.. but really its the whole society here who think every trick as something to solve... and in the end they do not enjoy the performance.. I found a way to get around this was to inform that it is not your intention to deceive them but just to entertain. That works for the most part

 

[UBERboomer]

Don't preform for friends at school, thats some good advice there. I get pestered alot by my friends, i'm 'magic matt' ill make things 'disappear' i 'cheat' at card games, it gets tiring after a while.

My school has over 1000 other pupils, thats who you should aim for, chances are your not going to preform twice if your careful.

 

[Dizzi]

for me it's test on self, mirror, over webcam to other magi's, mom test, maybe dad test, and then school

 

[ace18]

I personally do not like performing at school. I just don't like the "hype" it creates towards me. Next thing I know I have a mass people coming up to me all the time asking me to perform at the most inopportune times. I really don't like/or need the attention.

Now the above is not to say do not perform at school, its just my opinion. Sure "performing" at school could be a great "tool". I just think there are better places to hone this art, one with a little less drama.

 

[JackOSpadesNik]

I agree. Performances at school are stressful, but it makes it so much easier when performing in a setting were no one is heckling you and looking over your shoulder.

I'm so much more relaxed when performing for a normal number of people and feel better and more comfortable with my presentation and tricks.

 

[Meco]

the best in my opinoin is a restruant, you get to hand out your card to futer clientel, and you get to practice new effects on people, who you will most likely never see again.