Aaron Fisher on the Magic Teacher

[Guest]

Gene, nice point. for a moment I was REALLY envious; Grippo as a techer,but discovering that he never 'tipped' his hand helps a bit. I'm still smarting--so was Tony Slydini when I discussed it with him the next day--over his card in envelope on the Johnny Carson show. Simply staggered every magician who viwed it. Marty Kaplan

[mike cookman]

Another good teacher of mine has been experience in performing.

[Guest]

I think there is another important aspect of having a techer or mentor that hasnt been discussed. In our modern, diversified world, it is easy to get sidetracked - or simply difficult to have the time for all the things we want to do.

I am not a working professional. This means I have to have a regular job besides my magic, which in turn means that practice time is restricted to evenings and nights.
However, the same time slot is also to be used for playing with the kids, doing chores, meeting friends, etc etc.
As much as I love magic, sometimes it is hard not to lose focus. Maybe Im alone in this. But right now, when Im up to my neck in diapers from my second child who is four weeks old, when I finally have a moment for myself where I could - and probably really should - practise the LePaul Turnover Pass, I instead find myself vegetating over a nice computer game or even the telly.

And so it goes, and the days going by without me putting in any real practice piles up. This has nothing to do with me not being passionate with magic. But the relationship is one-way, and thus suffers easily without encouragement.

So, where does the teacher or mentor fit into this? Well. If I had someone to meet every week to discuss magic, teach me and review my progress, that would keep my interest alive on a whole new level. The feedback, encouragement and if needed teaching from another human being can make all the difference.

At this point, someone will probably say "Just join the local magic club!", but it is not as easy as that. There is obviously a great difference between a social gathering with other people interested in magic of which you know a few, and spending personal time with someone you trust and look to for guidance.

I am certain that I, and my magic, would grow immensely with the aid of a in-the-flesh-teacher, simply because nothing beats the interaction of two focused human minds.

Until then, I have a nice some nice books to turn to. Some of them even tries to teach me things. But dont tell me it equals a live tutor.

PS. Im sorry if the above is somewhat rambling, full of strange grammar and typos. Its 4:49 AM and it is diaper time.

[Guest]

One other value of a teacher has not been mentioned. A teacher helps to guide the neophyte through the expectations and manners of the group he wants to enter.

We are taught not to reveal stuff that was given to us in confidence, not to copy, not to bad mouth other magicians--these are the "ethics and manners" that enable us to move into the deeper concentric layers of magic "insiders."

A good teacher helps us to discover the respect for our peers and the rules of play that will make us welcome in the field.

Some other threads on this board recently have reminded how important this can be, and how many who have entered magic in recent years have been shortchanged in this regard. When someone claims that there are "no ethics" other than legal and illegal, I immediately know that I will not be sharing anything of value with him.

We need to have some rules of etiquette and behavior if we are going to trust each other with our life's work. When anyone is ignorant of these rules, or openly contemptuous of them, he is not going to penetrate very far into the confidence of his peers.

A good teacher will explain the importance and wisdom of behaving in a manner that will encourage trust and openness from those more advanced in the field.

[Guest]

With such great respect for teachers (as well as advice from fellow post-ers), any Chicago area magicians interested in being a mentor to a 38 yr old novice?
Best wishes and take care, all.

[Guest]

As a balance, I believe teachers can be a good thing for some, although true masters are hard to come by (esp. UK!), but the student magicians i've met of some high-profile close-up guys, whom shall remain nameless, have basically missed the whole 'originality' thing and either forged themselves as a carbon copy of their teacher or been shaped into mindless-sleight-of-hand clones repeating boring and repulsive patter that a 3yr-old would find condescending. Well, that's my little rant over with, Questions???!!!!

James

[Lisa Cousins]

I wanted to resurrect this thread a year later to thank everybody who contributed (I just re-read it, and it's an outstanding discussion), and to confess that, at the time, it pitched me into a terrible crisis of frustration. Despite the rosy picture painted by some of the participants, people were not exactly accosting me in the coffee aisle of the supermarket and offering to teach me magic. (This has happened so seldom that it would be fair to call it never.) However, I'm an optimist like Andrew Pinard, and kept myself convinced that, even if I was doing it wrong, it could still be magic, and it could lead to something new. Yet I longed for solid guidance in magic, and reading the stories of those of you who had it filled me with feelings of isolation, as well as fears of time-wasting and what-the-hell-am-I-doing.

In the past year I attended one workshop (David Ben in NYC) and two magic events (SAM in Vegas and Magic History in LA), and continued to carry on alone in my usual manner of study, and I have managed to shake off my feelings of frustration. I realize that I'm so accustomed to following my own interests in my own eccentric way that I'm actually uncomfortable with the idea of "teacher" as an in-advance arrangement. It's a title that can only be bestowed in retrospect. In other words, I know you're my teacher because I learned something from you.

I'm sure it's wonderful to have an official guide through the magic maze, but having hundreds of (visible and invisible) mentors is perfectly fine, too, and it's working well for me.

[Guest]

gosh,
Has it bee a year lready since I wrote my first ost on this. Great to have the thread resurrected.
Marty Kaplan

[Guest]

Hmmmm..just noticed I have ostensibly only beena member since this year; I like growing younger.

[Guest]

Hmmmm..just noticed I have ostensibly only beena member since this year; I like growing younger.

[mark]

Lisa, I am really glad you posted again, it gave me cause to read the thread again as well. I enjoyed this thread so much, and gained two things. I took to heart the idea that teachers were around, and I very much took to heart the advice given by Whit Haydn. I decided that the teacher or mentor thing was likely going to happen just about the way you described, Lisa (never) if I didn't do something about it. I am still frustrated by a lack of any local mentor, but I have also attended an event or two, the most memorable being LVMI. Through this, I met some of the people whose names I would list as The Guys I Would Most Like To Learn From. I tried to establish a relationship of respect and a desire to learn. I am happy to report that I have gained much insight from these men, and while I try not to bother them too often, they are there when I ask. One of my coin heroes has also asked me to work through effects that will be in his coming book in order to ensure that what he has written is what is communicated to the reader. A great opportunity, and pretty much all of it has happened because I wish to be better, I showed willingness to learn, and I asked. I suspect that last one is pretty important. Sorry this has been so long, but were it not for this thread, I might not have taken a stab at it. Thanks.

[magicbar]

One of mine is Bruce Cervon. But he doesn't know it. He was just being his natural self.