Preface to the Magic Course
Peter Prevos600 words25 October 20264 min read
Magic has formed a part of my life for almost half a century, though my interest in the magical arts has waxed and waned with life's tides. I performed as much as I could early on, but I gave it up when I graduated from university and started a career in engineering. My interest in magic did not disappear; I kept collecting books, videos, and props, and for about ten years I performed magic shows for children at schools and birthday parties.
As I edge toward retirement, the magic blood starts to warm my veins again. Rather than simply pick up the wand and continue where I left off, I decided to start from scratch and reacquaint myself with the art of entertaining deception. Let's pretend that I know nothing about magic, even though I have a lot of knowledge and some practical experience. I intend to approach magic with a beginner's attitude. This lets me not only rekindle my passion and relearn techniques, but also develop my own style. Following Eugene Burger's advice (Burger, 1983):
"In the very deepest sense, a student must be his or her own teacher. You must discover what does and doesn't work for you."
Existing magic courses
So I began re-reading beginner's magic books and followed some online courses. However, something was missing from this material. Most magic courses focus on teaching a multitude of tricks, with the occasional theoretical reflection. These courses do not provide a didactic structure or assignments for students to gain and apply the skills, as in any other formal learning environment.
Based on this experience, I decided to write my own course by documenting my path in redefining myself as a magician. This course is, first and foremost, written for me, as both student and teacher, and serves as a series of detailed notes to relearn the art and science of magic from the beginning, but with a difference.
Course Structure
The course consists of a series of lectures. Each lecture opens with learning objectives aligned with Bloom's Taxonomy. It then provides background information and refers to required and suggested readings or viewings. The material relies heavily on other sources, as I don't intend to rewrite existing content. Each lecture closes with a homework assignment to support structured practice, such as writing a script, developing a routine, or performing a trick.
This course is much inspired by my engineering education. When studying technology, students must master the principles of the craft so they can solve complex problems later in their careers. Magic courses are different because they focus on teaching complete tricks, like teaching engineering students to build different structures. Focusing on principles is a more productive way to study magic because it keeps students from merely collecting tricks. The curriculum teaches a range of magic techniques and tricks, grounds students in the history and science of magic, and encourages them to develop their own magic using these principles and examples.
The purpose of this course in theatrical magic is not to teach everything there is to know about magic but to develop a way of thinking about magic that provides the foundation for further development. In that sense, the material in this course is only a starting point for (re) entering the world of magic, focusing on classic techniques and tricks.