Going Into Children’s Magic
If you’re like most Filipino magicians—I am like most Filipino magicians—you must have gone into magic by way of close-up tricks.
I bet your first trick was a card trick. Or a coin trick. If not the Ball-and-Vase trick.
Close-up magic is the portal to the amazing world of magic. It’s the entry level of the magic art. If magic were a government service, close-up magic is the “casual” employee or probationary status.
Most close-up magicians, though, don’t stay being close-up magicians. Some of them bring their magic to another level. Once they attain proficiency in palming cards and coins, false shuffling and cutting decks of cards, they train their sights on children’s magic.
The reason? They may think they already have honed their skills enough to qualify to perform for money.
Going from close-up magic or hobbyist status to performing for children is not a bad move. Children’s magic is the most numerous gigs for magicians in the whole universe. Not the most lucrative (although money can be good for the better performers), but the most numerous.
That means, there are more children’s magic shows (kids’ birthday parties, school shows, Boy Scouts, etc.) than there are David Blaine TV shows, or David Copperfield shows, or Mondo Magic shows, or corporate shows, or product launching shows, etc.
If a Pinoy magician gets a small slice of the birthday party show pie here in the Philippines consistently on a weekly basis, he can live comfortably off his talent fees.
I’m not surprised, therefore, that a good number of close-up Filipino magicians heed the call of children’s magic. The call has the sound and smell of money that is difficult to turn a deaf ear and stuffy nose to.
But, as in all good things, performing magic for children imposes its own penalties. Heeding the call of children’s magic is easy. Getting into it can cause a culture shock. Becoming good at it is a long, hard work.
Entertaining children is not only difficult, it is also almost impossible if you don’t know the psychology behind it.
As the experts often tell the beginning children magicians, children count among the most difficult audiences in the world.
In future articles, I will write about why performing for children can be difficult and challenging.
Stay magical,
Leodini
