MY MAGIC HANDS
A World Filled With Wonder
My Magic Hands is a learning program for children ages eight to fourteen. For eight weeks, a professional magician teaches children the secrets of great magic tricks and how to perform them for their family and friends. At the end of the eight weeks, the children stage and star in “The Big Show,” a magic show recital showcasing the children’s accomplishments.
Typically, we start with a group of about twelve to fifteen participants. As each class progresses, participants learn and assume the role of a magician. They learn how a magician performs magic tricks through careful planning. And, most importantly, they learn that practice is necessary to create an illusion—one where mysterious and magical things happen. Our course includes magic tricks with cards, ropes, everyday objects, along with special “props.”
For the first half of the program we work on imparting the secrets of both the magic trick and its successful presentation for the audience. The second half of the program frames the participants with vital performance skills—including scripting and choreography—which are incorporated with the magic trick to ensure success at The Big Show.
The program also “employs” magic coaches; this is the role we assign to volunteers of our program. Volunteers are one of the key secrets of success. Participants are also provided with magic kits, affectionately known as their “Box of Secrets,” to store all of the materials and information necessary for the program. Each week, the Box of Secrets is filled with new magic tricks and instructions. These magic kits are provided free of charge thanks to our donor, the Slaight Family Foundation.
This program was developed by Magicana, with assistance from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, and is now generously funded by the Slaight Family Foundation.