A book about breaking down the barriers between magicians and a non-typical audience. I have worked with disabled people for most of my life and continue to adapt magic so that it can be accessible to everyone. In this book I share some of my best p...
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Magic with a purpose used to be rare; it was seen simply as an entertainment commodity. However, extensive research has uncovered the hidden virtues of this type of entertainment, highlighting both psychological and physical health benefits. As such, there are now charities and groups spanning the globe which focus on using magic as therapy, citing the studies which reference improvements in: motor and bi- manual skills, precision skills, hand and arm function, forearm rotation, grasp and release, co-ordination, cognitive skills, functional skills, problem-solving with numbers and stretching, as well as increased motivation, self-esteem and confidence, alongside improved conversational skills.
That's all excellent, I hear you say. But what about those who want to learn magic just because they love magic? I, for one, wanted to learn magic because it is awesome, and I had absolutely no interest in improving my motor skills! I quickly found that the type of magic I wanted to teach was not easily accessible; magic trick tutorials were easy to come by if you were happy learning from the annual your aunt gave you for Christmas in 1982. A lot needed to change, I decided, if people were to be able to access tutorials that taught them tricks more impressive than the old floating pen or jumping paper clip, both wonderful tricks (when you're five). Most of my clients were, and still are, older than five, and not content with pens and paper clips; so my work is in adapting tricks specifically for the needs of the people I teach. I teach them the magic that they will enjoy and are able to perform. For example, it is pointless trying to teach card skills to someone with significantly reduced motor skills — it would take them a week to open a pack of cards, and would quickly become frustrating and tedious for them. That's not to say I wouldn't try to find a way of teaching that card trick; of course I would, but I have learned that not everything can be adapted, although I do love to try!
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Teaching magic needs to be as simple as possible, regardless of who you are teaching to. There is nothing more confusing than someone who knows what they are doing teaching you something as if you already know how to do it! I try to stick to simple, easy-to- understand language, using methodology that makes the trick easy to execute, categorising instructions into one, two or three-word commands, as shown below. I set the trick up myself, both to ensure it is set up properly and because setting-up is quite difficult, and for some people impossible to understand.
Examples:
Dove Pan - Place Hold Place
Pop-up Top Hat - Push with thumbs Lift
Colour Change Casino Chips - place , slide
Change Bag - Place , Switch , Remove
Rubik's Shell Change , Place , Squeeze, Lift
Lights From Anywhere - Place , Push , Release
Latex Bottle - Place ,Cover ,Squash
Implementing these simple adaptations allows you control, while for the purposes of the performance, you are the assistant and they appear to be the magician.
I try to keep everything simple and fun, using lots of colour, noise and chaos! The age range of the groups I perform for is vast, and so is the spectrum of disability. For this reason, after performing to the whole group, I will split off and perform the tricks again on a one-to-one basis to any of the group who are visually impaired, so that they can handle the objects.
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TIPS: • Use familiar objects • Do not use cards, unless asked • Do not do predictions • The following tricks work really well with visually impaired people:
Production Vanish
Penetration
Transformation
Restoration
Transportation
Appearance
And now it's time to see... INSIDE MY MAGIC BAG
Lots of wands;
I love wands, in particular: Break-away wand Silly billy wand Large pop-off wand Spring wand Magic sceptre Tiny wand Wooden spoon wand Broken tip wand Seven-foot appearing Noisy cow wand
Other items:
Dove pan — little bra to big bra Appearing bananas
Cut and restore Jumping fish
Change bag three-way, knitted loops Clatter box Sponge tomatoes
