I am 16 years old I have been doing magic for about 2 years i have a few questions on how to get started into the kid show birthday party world.

first: how do you get your name out there so people know to hire you.
second: what prices should you charge.
thrid: what age should the children be.
and finally: what are the best tricks to bring.

Thanks guys

Welcome to penguin!!!

To answer a few of your questions,
First: The best way to get your name out there is word of mouth, maybe do a few free shows and spread the word your a magician. Also a few posters in local play schools.

Second: When starting off you don't want to charge to much, maybe just fuel money ($20) Once you get plenty of experience, ect. you could charge anywhere between $70 - $100. It really all depends how good you and your show is. The best way to find out is ask people what they think your show is worth.

Third: That is all up to you. What age is your material suitable for? I am personally going for ages 5 - 9.

Finally: Well what do you have and I might be able to tell you what to bring. Also you say what to bring? You should have a act worked out.
Here's a link for a list of useful props: http://www.penguinmagic.com/europe/disc ... hp?t=69798

I highly recommend buying yourself a few books. Any books from David Ginn are well worth a look. If you buy one of the books you will have little if any question's to ask.

Mike ~

thanks that helped but I still have a few more questions how do i book my self for a free show like where would i do it.

and what i was thinking to bring trick wise were
1.spounge balls (actually those new ear plug things)
2.vanishing hanckercheif
3.magic coloring book
4.acrobatic silks
5.sly silks
6.multipling golf balls
7.my scotch and soda routine (do you think kids would get it)

post your sugestions pleas thanks again

Ok, Dave I love how interested you are and I hope and pray that you also love kids or at least like them if you want to entertain the little adults. I'll give you some free advice and tips that one day you'll have to purchase in my book (not all original, but stuff I've found and seen). I'm sure you can vanish a handkerchief with the best of them and that your scotch and soda routine is great, but what you have listed would not work for the average children's gig. If you want to be a children's entertainer you can't just do cool tricks no matter how colorful and visual they are, not saying that the effects you choose shouldn't be but the majority of a kid show should be interactive and not just look at this other cool trick. David Ginn's general show outline, which I have found works for me goes like this:

-Comedy warm-up
-Silent magic to music
-Talking comedy or sucker trick
-Audience participation with 1 helper
-Two or more helper routines
-Danger type trick
-Show closing with music

I would recommend for a first book/resource "Crash Course on Kid Shows" by David Ginn because of the price and the different recommendations that he makes in there.

Hey Dave, heres my advice. You should use a bunch of bright and colorfull tricks, but they need to be in ROUTINES. Like ppmagic said i highly reccomend picking up some of David Ginn's books and videos. Heres a few ideas for you to work off of:

1. Your opener- Use sponges balls, but not ear plugs go with the old school bright red ones. Use a 'Two In The Hand One In The Pocket' type routine and end it off with some multiplying sponge balls.

2. The silent trick to music- I would go real old school with this one and do a classic 'Miser's Dream' to some music. A great kids presentation that I played with some time ago was doing a 'Miser's Dream' with cookies....oh the possibilities.

3.Talking comedy trick- Pretty much anything could fit in this category. A great thing to do would be a sucker trick, but instead of making the kids the sucker you should make yourself the sucker, guaranteed to make them laugh.

4-5. Tricks with assistants- In any decent magic shop, on-line or 'brick-n-mortar', you should be able to find many great selections. If you want some really good ones go to David Ginn's and Samuel Patrick Smith's websites and they'll have some of the best kids tricks you'll ever find.

6. Danger trick- I don't do them and I don't reccomend doing them for younger kids.

7. Your closer- the is the most important part of your show, this ABSOLUTELY has to leave a lasting impression on both the kids and the adults. If you haven't already included the birthday kid, now's the time to do so. When doing your grand finale with the birthday kid it's important you make it a photo opportunity, and the best trick for that is hands down 'The Chair Suspension'. When to the suspension or any other finale try to get some dramatic background music, it really adds to the effect.

I hope my advice was helpful, and if you have any more questions dont hesitate to ask.

Orpheus

thank you for all of the help but please keep posting i always apretiate and read your tips. Also how would i go about getting free shows at the library would I just call.

I would just call if I wanted to do a free show for a library. Doing free shows for a library is great because it gives you experience, and it helps get your name around.

(orpheus, what a great idea about misters dream with cookies!)

Maybe No Tear Kids for a Closer?

Dave you are on the right track and are getting a lot of great advice here.

I strongly recommend buying one of the mentioned books before you go any further. As I have said before and will say again anything from David Ginn is a wise investment.

You will have to have a well structured show and have a bit of knowledge on performing for kids before you go out there. The main objective is to entertain. You don't want to fool/trick kids, that doesn't go down very well. Entertain by amazement!!!

You might think a book is a bit pricy, in reality it is far from it. The information in them is priceless.

Another alterative to a book is: Terry Herbert's DVD - Children's magic

Mike ~

Do any of you honestly think 16 is to young to be doing kid shows when did you get your start?
thanks, Dave

The earlier you start the more experience you can get. Just remember that when dealing with adults to keep a professional and mature attitude.

Talking about library's I got paid $50 by my local library for doing a show and than teaching a beginner course on card magic. I'm not booked again for another one in a couple months. Not only do you get your name out but you get paid for it as well.

Hey, to tell you the truth I am also 16. I learnt everything I know from David Ginn's - Professional magic for kids, Its well worth it. Get it: www.ginnmagic.com then go to books.

Mike ~

hey guys Thanks to you i got courage called the library and they said the would give me a half hour slot the are callin me back with the date though but i was wondering i have another friend interested should i use an assistant or no?

my trick linup for the library so far
-magic coloring book
-spounge balls (i have a good routine)
-butter fly card(this will be done with music)
-I have a D-lite routine
-a great audience participation linking rings routine do kids catch on to that one
-vanishing hankercheif
-and i am purchasing penut butter and jelly illution
so tell me wut you think needs emprovement

I don't want to scare you, but from what I got from all these post was that you were NOT ready to do kids shows. *change of heart* I was going to sit here and talk about first impressions and how if you did a bad show because you were ill prepared wouldn't be good for business is the bottom line. Being prepared for a kids show or any show for that matter isn't all about how technically good my linking rings routine or how smooth my Thurston five card vanish and reproduction is; its about the patter and the presentation of the effects.

Man just to end a little more encouraging than I started; I think doing the show even if your not 100% prepared won't be the end of the world especially if your not being paid, because magic speaks for itself a lot of times and kids like magic. It will also be an awesome learning experience for yourself.

p.s. I for one do not recommend Dan Harlan's "Packs Small Plays Big" he is not a true children's entertainer there's some ok ideas on the DVD (that I know about because the local magic show dealer let me watch the performance part of the DVD) but children's entertainment just isn't he's thing. For him more DVD's out = more money (anyway thats a whole other story).

Other recommendations besides Ginn would be:

-Samuel Patrick Smith
-Steve Taylor
-Patrick Page (great value $12.50 for a double DVD)
-Silly Billy