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Ring Report
August 24, 2008
Minutes for this meeting.
The theme for the August meeting was School Shows, featuring a lecture by Stan Davis. Stan brought decades of experience as an employee of the school system and as a performer of school shows to the lecture.
Stan began by outlining the reasons that a school would not book a magic show, mainly lack of money and the inability to take the time away from other activites. He described three kinds of magic shows for schools: shows that are purely entertainment, shows that are essentially motivational shows, and shows that have a particular educational message.
Stan explained that entertainment shows might be used to help students relax before a big test, or decompress after a big test. Motivational shows carry a message that it is necessary to work steadily at something that you care about in order to be successful. The magician's own performance might serve as an example of something that took patience and dedication.
Stan spent a generous amount of time on message shows, citing an academic study that showed the power of magic to reinforce (or negate) a verbal message. He pointed out that the message in message shows should be in line with curricular needs and based on the research in the field.
Throughout the talk, Stan performed several effects with rope, cards, and other props that served as examples of motivational or message magic.
The lecture was recorded on video. Copies are available to Ring members upon request. Full details of the business meeting and photos are available on the Ring's web site (www.ibmring362.org).
