B'ys... I think my career has started up.

I get calls all the time to do shows... and yesterday i did a short show about 6 times for different classes in the school my mom works at (awesome experience value!).

ok... right now, i have the following:

d'lites

a cups and balls routine ending off with 2 red sponge balls and one yellow, and do the penguin routine with the one yellow one

nemesis, ending off with something I learned in a sankey lecture, 4
random cards are selected, i end off with 4 jacks.

i get 4 toonies out of my fire wallet and go into a matrix/lightning fast reverse matrix (rev. matrix from ogawa's lecture)

i also have mouth coils and the magic coloring book and tt/18"diamond cut silk. and i got the ninja rings, but are they good at all for kids shows?

btw: cards is only for older kids.

now, how could i improve my routine? i want to do some rope magic... should i get fiber optics or the tabary? also, i want to do the rope to silk but the rope has to be the same color as the other rope i'll use.

and on a side note, there is a show i'm doing in september, that is quite possibly OUTSIDE. i don't have much to do outside... any suggestions?

Rope magic: GET DARYL. Daryl and/or Tabary. You can't go wrong with Pavel's stuff either. Pavel is pricey and so is Tabary, so if you're on a budget, pick up Daryl's rope DVD's and stuff. Not only will you learn a great rope routine in each video, you'll learn a multitude of sleights with ropes to devise your own tricks. The best part? In the routines, if you find a sleight you're awkward with, you can switch it out with another sleight in the DVD to accomplish the same thing!

Your routine is awsome but you might want to time your self how long is your show?

and how old are you i am 16 just got my routine ready and got booked i do little kids though my show is...
-mirror box to get my first trick which is cup and balls
-mirror box again but come out with nothin then i say o there it is and start d lights
-linking rings
-mirror box to mini magic coloring book
-apearing and vanishing hank small intro
-then into acrobatic silks
-and as a finnally joker tube

yea i dont do rope magic lol i am no good at it but your routine is cool how do you think mine is

Not rope magic? Dude you are totally suckin' it, you are missin' out!! Ropes are great for kids, cuz it's a physical thing, you do physical things to it, and the kids can follow it. There's no counting, no math, etc. Just pure fun. Cut n Restore, Stretch, Shrink, kids can follow this stuff.

And NOW which row is your card in?

Don't take this wrong, but you have the wrong approach. So far, you have a few tricks and you've thrown together a show. For lack of a better phrase, that is your "Product".

The problem is this. You've created a "Product" without any detailed analysis of who your "Customers" will be.

As a magician, it is your job to entertain your audience. Although the kids are not directly paying your bill, they are the "Customer". In kids shows, your audience will be very different depending on their age group. 4 to 7 year olds act very differently than 8 to 10 year olds or 11 to 13 year olds. They have different life experiences, different attention spans, different egos, and different levels of emotional maturity.

You cannot treat them all the same by pushing the same "Product" on everyone. What you need to do is create at least one show for each of the above age groups. Determine how your presentation and patter will have to change for each age group. Then, identify any "holes" in your shows that need to be filled, and go out looking for effects to fill those holes.

With that approach, you will be shopping with a purpose instead of simply collecting new effects for your closet.

Finally, be careful about doing free shows. Yes, it is great experience and a lot of fun. But, with the limited number of tricks you currently own, you probably have shown over 50% of your tricks for free. Now, what are you going to show if one of those kids' parents decide to hire you to do a show? You certainly don't want to be doing the same tricks that they've seen already.

So, if you are going to do free shows, make sure those tricks are different from the ones you will be using in your paid shows.

I am not even gonna give this guy my opinion, just because I know he won't take it!

heh, *insert obligitory SPAM picture here*

you can do kids tricks for adults and some adult tricks can be adapted for kids. its all subjective. i'm looking for non-age specific magic. rope magic, for example. the linking rings. you don't have to be very old to get "2 sold rings LINKED!"

Exactly, I don't mean this as spamming/bashing/flaming, but he refuses to take other peoples opinions, and tries to force his own on others.

"you can do kids tricks for adults and some adult tricks can be adapted for kids. its all subjective. i'm looking for non-age specific magic. rope magic, for example. the linking rings. you don't have to be very old to get "2 sold rings LINKED!""

Kyle .. you were right. I can't believe I wasted my time on this

Sponge balls are great for kids... I do simple coin work when someone asks for a "free" show because I wouldn't normally do that. Pulling coins out of their ears or making them go through their body gets good reactions, and in my case, paying shows.

Why do you ask for advice, comments, help, ect. If your not going accept it? I agree with what magicman845 has to say. But you just turn around and make it look as if you are giving him advice