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themagiciansapprentice
Special user
Essex, UK
968 Posts
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Posted: May 31, 2008 2:33pm
I've just been studying Terry Herbert's "Magic for the Under 5s" dvd. He brilliantly uses Three Little Pigs and Two Little Dickie Birds with this audience.
Whereas when I used Ali Baba to an audience of 3-8 year olds, I was told it was too long a routine at four minutes. (Which is why I got the above dvd.)Even though we live a few hundred miles from Baghdad few kids knew the story. (This did surprise me as I grew up 2500 miles away with lots of different nursery rhymes.) I know the prop is good and so is the story-line. I even made my own 18" palm tree for Ali to hid in, from foam-board. But I've hestitated to use it since.
What age group have you used this prop with? (I got it from http://www.practical-magic.com )
Have you ever found some tricks are age-specific?
Have wand will travel! Performing children's magic in the UK for Summer and Autumn 2013.
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Bill Palmer
Eternal Order
Only Jonathan Townsend has more than
23793 Posts
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Posted: Jun 8, 2008 4:10pm
I'll be blunt. Is it because of the length of the routine or the number of points of excitement?
If a four minute routine were too long for children, then they couldn't sit through a thirty minute television show or a one hour movie.
You can't tell a story TO children. You have to tell it WITH children. Get them involved. Give them things to do. Make it exciting.
The stories are not about the props. They are about the audience. Do the story without any props at all. Is it any good? If it isn't any good, the props won't help it.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC
My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups."
www.cupsandballsmuseum.com
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themagiciansapprentice
Special user
Essex, UK
968 Posts
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Posted: Jun 8, 2008 10:58pm
I can understand that view, but I used the routine from www.practical-magic.com . One child rubs a lamp calling for the genii to protect Ali, another with a sword is ready to chop Ali's head off. At the end Ali appears without the magician seeing him (like in Pet Shop Pranks, Farmyard, BookWorm et al) whilst the children call out that they can see him.
I've tried telling the story to the upper-end of this age group, without any props, and they loved it. I'll try it again today as the full routine and will write feed-back. My gut feeling is that this story/trick is better for Junior Children (equivalent to grade 2-5) than the younger one's.
One suggestion from a teenager was to call the disappearing boy Aladdin. After the films he is much better known to the children.
Have wand will travel! Performing children's magic in the UK for Summer and Autumn 2013.
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Bill Palmer
Eternal Order
Only Jonathan Townsend has more than
23793 Posts
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Posted: Jun 8, 2008 11:45pm
Why use a canned routine, when you can work out one that is better? Are you working for English children? If so, do they not have access to television and other outside influences?
I'll be even blunter. I have not seen much English story magic that was really solid storytelling. You need to work the stories so they fit YOU.
I don't use ANY canned stories.
"The Swatter"
Founder of CODBAMMC
My Chickasaw name is "Throws Money at Cups."
www.cupsandballsmuseum.com
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Magnalucius
Loyal user
Ecuador
210 Posts
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Posted: Jun 17, 2008 11:55am
If you can tell a story without props, and keep the children in a fascinating silence for one hour, you have done well. If you are a magician, begin the work of storytelling. Become in a storyteller, not a magician, for a while. Then when you can tell stories and keep their minds in your words, you will be able to mix them with magic. Caleb Strange said: "If the story is not good, the effect won´t work either". Further more: if the story teller is not good, the story won´t, no mather which story you choose.
I think storytelling is about the power of the words, you can create real magic with the feelings and minds of the audience. The story is not a help for the magic, the story must be the magic.
Lux In Tenebris
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themagiciansapprentice
Special user
Essex, UK
968 Posts
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Posted: Jun 19, 2008 3:45am
Thanks for that, but my original point was are there stories that work best with different age-groups?
eg Three Little Pigs, Nursery Rhymes for pre-schoolers
Have wand will travel! Performing children's magic in the UK for Summer and Autumn 2013.
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Magnalucius
Loyal user
Ecuador
210 Posts
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Posted: Jun 19, 2008 11:09am
Ah! Of course there are stories that can work better for a child than an adult... But adults are like children. In an adult audience I think any story works well. For a children's audience, you have to be more selective.
Lux In Tenebris
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wally
Inner circle
1100 Posts
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Posted: Dec 20, 2008 1:25pm
Hoping to buy the 3 little pigs, Anyone here got a good routine for this. Thanks.
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puppeterry
Regular user
Sanger, CA
114 Posts
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Posted: Jan 21, 2009 12:53pm
For a young audience, you need lots of repetition and opportunities for a response. What works in storytelling for that age is what works in magic, too.
Terrance V. Mc Arthur
storyteller, puppeteer, magician, balloony, librarian
TV Mc Arthur
The Librician
Fresno (CA) County Public Library
"They don't get better.....just faster."
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wally
Inner circle
1100 Posts
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Posted: Jan 22, 2009 8:07am
Got the 3 little pigs , now I want to trade some of my dvds for the Terry Herbert dvd.
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