A Light at the End of the Tunnel

Dear Friends,

Our guest author this month is Simone Marron, listed on our site as: 

Simone Marron – Social Coordinator, performer, eternal student, and best friend to magicians the world over.

I can’t think of a truer description for her. She has some true words of wisdom for us.

As the light gets increasingly brighter at the end of the tunnel of solitude, what have we learned?

• Procrastination is not caused by lack of available time.
• We were able to spend more time alone than we previously ever thought possible.
• You can count on some friends more than others.
• The magic community is there for us.
• Zoom has helped most of us through.

The McBride Magic & Mystery School has been teaching online for more than ten years. The phrase “Monday is a school night,” has been a frequently heard phrase throughout our homes during that time. So, it is no surprise that the early adopters of online classes specifically for those wandering through the “tunnel,” would be the creation of the Mystery School.

Without doubt, this quote written decades ago did not refer to the Zoom that we have become so familiar with. Almost certainly, it is coincidental that the word Zoom was used when talking about Elvis in the context of innovation. However, what have we learned about this medium, and the advantages of its use for teaching in relation to magic—especially as it relates to Mystery School?

• Lessons can be learned without leaving home.
• Classes are less expensive.
• There are no travelling expenses.
• Participation worldwide is possible.
• Easy access to some of the greatest minds in magic.
• Recordings and digital documents are available for reference later.
• Social interaction, although different, is possible with breakout rooms.
• Magic that looks miraculous can be performed close-up in the camera frame.

The learning curve has differed between performers in our art, but for many, it has opened a new window—a new way of achieving their career goals. It is a personal decision to either make the transition to walk through this newly opened door, or to stay in the comfort zone, and to wait until they can return to normal life.

Live in-person performance will return soon, as will in-person classes. However, it does not look like online entertainment is going away. The future will likely be a hybrid of live and online, enabling endless possibilities of international visibility with much wider audiences.
 
The price of Zoom stock at the beginning of 2020 was $68.28. At the time of writing, the value is $427.10 per share, with a high of $568.34 reached in October 2020. Frequent software updates are released with groundbreaking options—always improving the experience. One year ago, we could not have conceived how much would have been possible in Zoom advancements in such a short space of time. The endless possibilities keep building…
 
Of course, Zoom is not the only pony in the race. There are also Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and countless other candidates. However, Zoom seems to be the most user-friendly, flexible option available to entertainers at the current time.
 
In the meantime, if you want to catch one of the Magic & Mystery School’s online offerings, you can see a list of upcoming classes here: https://shop.magicalwisdom.com/events.
 
Remember, things are usually better than you sometimes think. The light at the end of the tunnel is not an illusion…the tunnel is.

Looking forward to seeing all of you at the other end of the “tunnel.”
 
Simone Marron
simone@marrons.us

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