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Archive:  2004 Program Study guide

This page contains Opie Houston's recommended study guide for the Assembly 206 Programs in 2004.  Archives of previous years can be found here:  2006  2005 

January - stage magic

Have you read everything above under General Magic?  If so, you probably have enough of a grounding to participate at the special meeting.  Did we mention that it's at Esther's Follies this month?

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February  - walk-around/close-up

Recommended Readings

Wilson, Mark - Complete Course in Magic

1. Read or review the chapter on Impromptu Magic. Either learn or make a note to learn the basic Rubber Band Routines, a paddle routine, and the Glass Thru Table.

2. Read or review the chapter on Betchas. Either learn or make a note to learn at least one of the effects in that chapter.

3. Read or review the chapter on Sponge Ball Magic. Learn everything you can in that chapter, with emphasis on the Two-in-Hand, One-in-the Pocket handling.

4. Read or review the chapter on Cups and Balls. Learn everything you can in that chapter, with emphasis..... on everything in that chapter.

Internet Resources

http://allmagicguide.com/
Read the articles by Jim Sisti and others, regarding the performance of restaurant and close-up magic.  There is a lot of material on that web, so plan to stay a while... And, do read and learn the trick of the month.

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March – Children’s Magic

Recommended Readings

There are a lot of effects which are missing from the above list, such as the Ding Dong Trick, Bra Trick, and anything that might harm a child, such as needles through arm, tongue, etc., or fire effects that a kid might try later. DON'T!!!!!

My personal favorites for years were: Card Productions to Hat which changed to a long rope; Cut and Restored Rope Routine; Temple Screen production of gillions of silks; some knot effects with a long skinny silk, leading into Sympathetic Silks; Walking Thru Ribbons/Ropes; Canary Cats; Some card effects, using animal or alphabet cards; Square Circle or Dove Pan to produce a bunch of candy and “Goodnight Silk.” I did that same routine or variations thereof for years.

References

Wilson, Mark, Complete Course in Magic; Some other good references are: Hay, Amateur Magician's Handbook; Easley's Doing Magic for Youngsters; Hay, Learn Magic;Elliot, Classic Secrets of Magic;

Web Pages

http://www.cs.wisc.edu/~roy/magictalk-wisdom/discussions/kid_shows.html  (If you don't make a copy of this one, you don't know good advice.)

Specific Recommended Readings/Preparation

1. Wilson, Mark - Complete Course in Magic

a) Read or review the chapter on Silk and Handkerchief Magic. Either learn or make a note to learn Fatima, some knot tricks, and a silk penetration.

b) Read or review the chapter on Make at Home Magic. Either learn or make a note to learn Afghan Bands, the Utility Cone, Comedy Cut and Restored Paper (Clippo), Sun and Moon, all the Confetti to Candy Effects, and Square Circle.

2. Go to the following web and read the collected wisdom of Magic Talk, regarding doing children's shows. Most of the effects I listed above are on there.

http://www.cs.wisc.edu/~roy/magictalk-wisdom/discussions/kid_shows.html

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April – Card And Impromptu Magic

This guide addresses two very important genres of magic--Card and Impromptu tricks. They probably make up the majority of magic that is performed, since they are performed by virtually everybody, from schoolboys to grandpas, and not just close-up, restaurant, and street performers. The scope of these two genres is boundless, but there are only a few basics principles, which can be studied/practiced, to make you an "opportunist" impromptu magician. Let us start by taking a look at just a few worthwhile skill goals in the first of these two genres.

Hugard & Braue's Royal Road to Card Magic (RRTCM) - The following quiz contains the basic principles and skills you need to be an effective card magic performer. Use the book, the quiz, and the recommended study guide OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL WEEKS, in the order given below, to become at least a knowledgeable card handler. You may want to run through the quiz to determine which skills you need to seek advice for at the meeting.

Some Useful Online Card Help: http://www.web.superb.net/cardtric/sleights/index.htm.

Impromptu Magic

Virtually every magic book will contain tricks that can be done with common objects found lying around on tables, in your pockets, or borrowed from spectators. U.F. Grant published a whole manuscript years ago, which was basically a whole show, using borrowed objects.

Anyway, to get on, here are the skills and some study references that I recommend for you to check out before the April meeting:

1. Wilson, Mark - Complete Course in Magic - a. Read or review the Impromptu Magic chapter, with emphasis on learning the "principles" behind the tricks. For impromptu magic (as in most genres of magic), knowledge of principles is especially important. b. Read or review the Sponge Ball Magic chapter, with emphasis on TIHOIP.

2. Any Magic Book - Pull one of those dusty books off your shelf and skim through it, looking for just the trick to fool the folks at the meeting. Practice it and perform it at the meeting. And, you might want to check out the following link: http://www.bartricks.com/tricks.shtml

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May - Rope, Ring, and String Magic

STUDY LIST

I.  FROM:  Mark Wilson's Complete Course in Magic (Philadelphia:Ottenheimer Publishers, 1988).

1. Rope Preparation, pg 237
2. Cut and Restored Rope, Various methods, pgs 237-40
3. Cut and Restored String, pgs 247-49
4. Threading the Needle, pgs 249-50
5. Ring Off Rope, pgs 262-63
6. Cords of Phantasia, pgs 303-04

II.  FROM:  Hoffmann's Modern Magic (New York:  Dover Publications, 1978).

1. The Flying Ring, pgs 225-27
2. Hand to Hand, pg 227
3. Thru a Hank, pg 228
4. Thru Table, pg 228-30
5. Ring on Wand, pgs 230-31
6. Cut String Restored, pgs 317-20

III.  FROM:  Cassidy and Stroud, The Klutz Book of Magic (Palo Alto: Klutz Press, 1990). Read or review all ring and string tricks from page 46 through page 67.  This little "for-the-public" magic book is probably one of the better ring and string magic-trick  bargains that you can buy.

IV.  Some web sites:

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June - Magic Contest

BODY LANGUAGE

Since June is a "Performance/Contest" month in Assembly 206, I thought I would just share something that we should be aware of when performing, or, for that matter, when interacting with other people.  That something is to recognize the body language of our audience, in order to glean an idea of how we are doing.

One of the most-interesting courses I took in college was a course in "Communications", which included a large block on body language.  I often recall some of the readings, and I was very pleasantly surprised a short while ago when I ran across a Dictionary of Body Language terms and some really good definitions. 

So, for this month's study, let me introduce you to or help to expand your knowledge of Body Language.  I think you will find the following web not only informative and useful, but absolutely fascinating:

Bonus Guide

It dawned on me that the study of body language might not appeal to all, so here are some computer links that you might like to check out.

I think you might enjoy surfing most of these.....If you find an area that you particularly like, let me know, as I might have some more on the same topics....opie

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July - The Planning And Evaluation Of Dramatic Performance

• http://www.online-visions.com/other0208contest.html
• http://artsci,calontir-rush.org/criteria/drama.html
• http://www.magicandnlp.com/nlpandmagic.htm
• http://www.nyhistoryday.org/contents_clarity_perf.htm

August -COMEDY STUDY GUIDE: 
Ah, Comedy!  Where does it come from, or how can we create it? 

September - Money Magic

October - Young Magicians' Night and Magic Week

1. Take a trip down memory lane and recall your first tricks and experiences with magic.
1. Think about your first couple of magic books and what you learned from them.
2. Think about your first couple of magic tricks and how well or badly you performed them.
3. What are a few of the early tricks you learned, which you still perform?
2. Think about magic, goblins, and maybe even Houdini:
1. Think about some last minute things the Assembly might do to promote magic in the community during Magic Week.
2. Take a look at some bizarre webs, in particular, the Gene Poinc web (You will need to join the Learned Pig Project to gain access; there is no charge, but it may take a while to gain membership.  Keep trying; it is worth it):  http://www.thelearnedpig.com.pa/
1. Learn at least one new routine that has a Halloween theme.  There are a few free ones at:  http://www.online-visions.com/effects/index-bizarre.html
3. Come prepared to learn something from the young magicians who will be performing at the meeting.  In addition, bring along an oldie to show them, if there is time.

November - New Member Self-Study Guide

1. Gather and keep handy, in a case or chest, the above materials that you will find helpful in wading through almost any magic book. 
2. Now is a good time to look through those books on the shelf and make up your own study list of tricks and routines you wish to create or practice.  You might also want to ask Doc sseaton2@austin.rr.com  to include some specific topics in next-year's programs, which might coincide with your study list.  Don't wait until New Years to make your Study-Guide Resolutions; do it now!!
3. Let Hull know, if you wish to be on the program:
   

DECEMBER - Collector's Night

Most magicians I know are not "Collectors"; they are accumulators of "stuff" that might be used to do a trick, if they ever get around to it and can then find the right "stuff", when an inspiration hits them. True collectors, on the other hand, tend to be bibliophiles and are generally true lovers of the "stuff" they have, to the point of expending great effort and time tagging and displaying the items.

Some people even record the date they found an item of "stuff", from whom obtained, price, etc. I, on the other hand, do not. I probably have at least a half dozen metal thumb tips, and I don't know where I found any of them. In fact, I don't know where any of them are, other than they may be somewhere in the junk room (room filled about four feet high with "stuff"), or in boxes in the garage or guest room, or in the junk-overflow room, or in our bedroom in a stuffed Roll-A-Long Table, or perhaps under the bed....I have been afraid to look under there for years....

Have you gotten my main point yet?.....the point that many of us are accumulators? So, let me try to dig us out of the mess and prepare us for the 13 December meeting about Magic Collections. It should be fun to see the carefully-preserved items to be displayed by Ron, Sparks (from Houston), and others, who are proud of their possessions.

Maybe we can even get some ideas about (1) how to select our specialized items we wish to collect; (2) how to properly label and preserve them; (3) how to display and share them; and (4) how to generally derive the most pleasure from them. Well, at least we should be thinking about those topics, so that we can have some lively discussion.

Hopefully, everyone will bring at least one favorite "collectable" for a "show and tell". In the meantime, let us prepare ourselves by looking at a couple of informative web sites, which might be helpful in our collecting endeavors. Here are two links:

http://www.magictricks.com/library/greatbooks.htm (You may want to click on "Home" on this web; it contains a lot of good and interesting material, including a magic museum section, some collections of interesting magic items, and memorabilia.)

http://thelearnedpig.com.pa/magos/index.html (By all means, sign up for membership on the Learned Pig Project. It is free and has a wealth of information and historical articles, programs, magic sketches, the Gene Poinc Memorial Website (with dozens of Gene's hilarious and bizarre routines); approximately 50 magic books you can read FREE. Some of the free books on line are Hocus Pocus Junior, several books by Annemann, a whole collection of Hoffmann's books, a number of mentalist books, etc. There are 12 books by Professor Hoffmann alone, all free for the reading. If you have any problem signing up for this web, let me know.)

Here are some more links to webs of interest to collectors:
 
http://www.gis.net/~canaday/html/magazines.html
http://www.nnmagic.com/
http://www.nemca.com//
http://www.magicgallery.com/
http://www.magicposters.com/strobridge/1201art.html
http://www.houdiniana.com/
http://www.handcuffs.org/pittella/
http://www.martinka.com/martinka/museum/

Well, that should keep you busy until 13 December, when we will meet at the Omni and share memorabilia and information on the acquisition, care of, and display of magical "stuff" we love. Be there, and bring something to brag about.

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