Entertaining Children

By Alexander the Great Magician
Ottawa, Ontario

I'm coming up to my first busy weekend of 2011 and I've been reading up on some of my favourite magicians. At work tonight I just breezed through a book by some real experts at entertaining children: Steve Taylor, Sammy Smith and David Ginn. I have read a bit of Smith and Ginn before but this was the first time I heard of ventriloquist and magician Steve Taylor.

They all managed to give lots of advice as the book was formatted as a discussion between the three upon various topics. Some of the greatest information was a story Sammy Smith told about Influence in the last chapter which I'll talk about here:

Many years ago a young teenager who worked at a magic shop was working the store alone while the owner was out on an errand. All of a sudden the door opened and into the shop walked Harry Blackstone, Sr, the worlds greatest magician. He was performing a show in town and stopped by the shop as a courtesy.
The boy was shocked and astounded, here he was in a magic shop alone with the greatest magician in the world.
Blackstone spoke to him for a few minutes then said, "So, what's new?"
Still quite shocked the young boy said, "Well we have the Color Changing Knives." (which is a very well known magic trick)
"I'd like to see that," Blackstone said.
The young boy hastily and nervously demonstrated the simple trick for the Great Blackstone. When he finished, Blackstone said the most wonderful thing for the boy which he never forgot.
"I'll take one," he said.
Fifty years later that boy would still tell the story of how he sold Blackstone a set of Color Changing Knives. No wonder Blackstone was one of the most loved magicians around. Many well-known performers have said that he was the most wonderful magician they had ever met.

Why?

Because he knew he had the power to influence his admirers, and he used this ability to make them feel truly important.After every show that I perform as Alexander the Great I am very cognizant that I have the same power. Often times my magic show will leave a lifelong impression on the children just the same way great performers have left a lifelong impression on me, and this is truly influence.

It's my hope that the children I affect through my entertaining magic shows will continue to spread the positive influence that has inspired me.

 

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