“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”
— Abraham Lincoln
Dear Friends:
What an excellent quote from Abe! I “sharpen my axe†by attending conferences, lectures and seminars that upgrade my skill sets and open me up to progressive ways of thinking. I just must get away and get some real life experience from expert teachers.
Recently I attended a lecture by Juan Tamariz. It was not just the magic effects that I found so mind expanding, it was more just being “in his company.” I felt like a dry plant being watered; I felt rejuvenated. I also get this extraordinary feeling when I host our classes here in Las Vegas. Eugene, and all of the teachers here at the school, continue to “upgrade” my creativity and my life skills.
If you want to join us for a class, please consider the March or summer classes.
If you can’t fly to Las Vegas, then take a look at our online school offerings for this season.
Jeff pushes his technique to the limits in his card manipulation routine.
All photos by Seryl Aguilar
“Thanks for the gift and thanks for the Master Class experience. It was really something different, something that felt meaningful and a memory for life. It was way better than my expectations. It was more than magic effects, it was a totally different kind of life.”
— Jompa Anderson, Master Class student
Are you Old School, or New School?
Do you prefer a Kindle book over a hard back book?
Do you “pop in a cd†or play mp3s on your iPod?
Do you write quick notes by hand or do you send a text on your iPhone?
Do you work with Bicycle playing cards or those new “fancy-schmancy” decks?
Yes my friends, we are living at a time where technologies are obsolete before they even hit your home! We have been “bridging the gap,†as it were. Our Online School is a perfect example of a solution to the “old school/new school†division.
“A mind once stretched by a new idea never regains its original dimensions.â€
— Anonymous
Jeff McBride and THE WONDERGROUND PLAYERS in a recent stage extravaganza!
Meet my Freaky Friends!
I love stretching my limits, and so every month we host the greatest magic party in Las Vegas! Each month we create A NEW SHOW! Join us this Thursday, Feb. 21st at 8pm for the latest edition. For full line up and information go to: http://www.vegaswonderground.com
YOU WILL LOVE THIS AMAZING LINE UP OF RARE TALENT!
This month at WONDERGROUND we are featuring ZAMORA THE TORTURE KING!
ZAMORA: is just back from Europe, and makes a rare appearance.
JASON ANDREWS: 1st place winner at the IBM stage competition.
DAVID GROVES: the author of “STREET MAGICâ€Â weaves his wonders
LES CONTORTIONETTES-:fantasic blend of puppetry and contortion
BIZZARO!:One of the most creative minds in modern magic!
BIJAN & DAVID GABBAY From Hollywood, rising stars in comedy magic.
Take a look at some great images by Sheryl Aguilar, from last month’s event
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/9lpcqbioykpufn6/1lkj48I7ac?m
If you like, you can watch our show for free, ONLINE at 10 pm on WWW.MCBRIDEMAGIC.TV
“New Rave” magician, Kyle Raven from Singapore lights up the stage at WONDERGROUND!
McBride World Tour: China & Thailand
I am on my way back to China again for a super stage show. Jordan Wright will join me on this trip and my next one to Thailand. Hey, I might even be coming YOUR way soon, so please look at my tour dates. http://www.mcbridemagic.com/pages/calendar.php
See you at the shows, on tour, or online at the “virtual magic school!â€
Jeff
P. S.
“The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.â€
— Plutarch
Join us & set your mind on fire at our annual MYSTERIUM gathering.
From Tobias:
We have several weekends in May currently unbooked. If you’ve considered sponsoring one of Jeff’s “McBride Magic Experience†mini-conventions in your city, now is the time to think about doing it. You can learn more about how the whole process works at: http://www.mcbridemagic.com/pages/venues/mcbride-magic-for-magicians/the-jeff-mcbride-experience.php
Jeff loves coming out to share his show and teaching across the country, and we’ve developed a “minimum risk†way for you to sponsor him – in many cases you can sponsor the whole show, lecture and workshop with a lower overhead that it would take to sponsor a lesser known magician just for a lecture. Click the link above to learn more, and then get in touch with me and make arrangements!
Best wishes.
Tobias Beckwith
tobias@yourmagic.com
Love and magic have a great deal in common. They enrich the soul, delight the heart. And they both take practice.
— Unknown
Dear Friends:
Today we have a special message from Dr. Larry Hass, our Associate Dean. If you’re reading this, and don’t already know Dr. Hass, I can assure you he knows what he is writing about as he writes about having heart. Larry contributes so much to our magical community – not just as an excellent performer, or as part of our Magic & Mystery School, but through his work running his Theory and Art of Magic Press, and through the programs he has created to bring the serious study of magic to traditional college curriculums, first at Muhlenberg College and now at Austin College. If you get to see him perform or lecture, you’re in for a treat – and can be sure he will touch your hearts and inspire you with his own passion. We count ourselves extremely fortunate to have him as a part of our team.
February is the month of heart. With Valentine’s Day in the middle of it, it is a time when our thoughts turn and re-turn to love and friendship, to the relationships we make with partners, spouses, children, family, friends, and the communities in which we engage.
This February I especially am thinking about the fact that the Magic & Mystery School community has heart. Frankly, I wouldn’t be involved if it didn’t! We are not all about intellect, competition, or achievement. Of course there is room in our community for these things, but what keeps them in balance is what I think of as the School’s heart core.
This heart core is beating away in our educational mission and in many of our projects and initiatives. The truth is, we feel a bit shy about trumpeting them, but because we need your help right now (more on this below), I want to underscore a couple of them.
First, it is my pleasure to announce that over the past two years our Gift Magic book project has generated over $4,700 for Rich Bloch’s Encore Foundation, which assists magicians in times of tragic need. Indeed, our pledge was that every penny of profit from sales of Gift Magic would go to Encore, and we are delighted that the book continues to sell so well.
The second thing to formally announce is the extraordinary success of the School’s 2012 Scholarship Program. Once in a while some wise guy jokes, “Oh you’re a school; do you offer scholarships? Ha, ha.†The answer is: Yes, we most certainly do!
In fact, the School offers two scholarships for qualified students: 1) The Magic & Mystery School Scholarship, and 2) The SARMOTI Legacy Scholarship (founded through the generous support of the Siegfried and Roy North American Fan Club). Both of these scholarships provide need-based financial aid for students to have a magic education experience at one of our classes in Las Vegas. Please go to the Scholarship Program page of the new website to see if you qualify and to download an application.
The wonderful thing is that these scholarships are funded by you. They are funded by people in our extended community who have “heard the call†and made generous donations to our Scholarship Fund. In 2012 we received enough gifts from people in our “heart community†to fund scholarships for three people who needed a “hand up†at this point in their life to get the education they need for greater success. (The recipients are wonderful, talented, highly motivated people and you will read about them in the months ahead.)
This brings me to another part of our heart core: the launch of our new Membership Initiative. We are asking you to become an official member of the Magic & Mystery School.
We are launching this initiative for two reasons. First, we need your help in covering the basic operational costs of our online offerings (for example, the Museletter, the free Monday night show, and the Virtual School in all its shades and content). The fact is, none of it is free and none of it is cheap, and as our viewer hours per month at Livestream are going through the roof (last month well over 100,000 hours), we need your help to make it sustainable.
But more important for us is the fact that, after a portion of your membership fee goes to cover basic costs, all the rest of it goes directly into our Scholarship Fund. And every penny of the Scholarship Fund goes out to talented magic students who need help closing the gap for their magic education.
So please, right now, go to the new Magical Wisdom home page and “Become a Member†of the Magic & Mystery School. When you press the big red button on the home page, you will be taken to a page that shows you the three levels of membership ($25, $50, and $100), and the exclusive benefits that each level brings.
We are proud of these “goodies,†and we think you will enjoy them. But above all, remember that your membership fee is helping us in our educational mission to improve the art of magic one magician at a time.
We make this frank appeal to you because we know you have heart. And we know you are connected to us because we have heart. Thank you for helping us to be the kind of community we aspire to be!
From Tobias:
We’re excited that next week (February 3-10) will be “Magic & Mystery School Week†at the Magic Castle. The whole faculty and staff will be there, and if you’ll be in Southern California, you won’t want to miss this special week when we get to bring our special “Mystery School†brand of magic to one of magic’s great institutions. Learn more at: http://www.magiccastle.com/
After that Jeff and Jordan Wright will be taking off for a week in Shanghai, performing Jeff’s “Magic Behind the Mask†show there on a whirlwind schedule, before returning to Vegas in time for next month’s “Mysterium,†and to our first classes of 2013: “Magic for Speakers and Presenters†and our first Master Class of the new year. There are one or two slots still open for each class, so if you hurry you can still secure one of them. Because of Jeff’s and Eugene’s extremely busy performing schedules, we don’t have additional classes scheduled till July…so I’d urge you to grab these spots while they last!
You’ll be hearing from Jeff directly in a couple of weeks with our mid-month Muse, including stories from the week at the Magic Castle, information about this month’s Wonderground, and more…till then, we wish you a magical February, filled with heart!
Sincerely,
Tobias Beckwith
tobias@yourmagic.com
I must be willing to give up what I am in order to become what I will be.
—Albert Einstein
Magical Greetings from Jeff and Abbi in Las Vegas!
What will you become this year — and what would you give up to obtain that goal?
Jeff is just home from tour and has a few new stories to tell you…stories of dreams, goals and inspirations.
Inspirations!
Hey! Jeff here in Vegas! My friend, the writer Mike Burke, reminded me of something I had said that inspired him. I’ll share it with you, too.
“Go deep into the source of your inspiration, and get an excellent guide to take you deeper, beyond your limits.”
I find guides in some of the strangest places! I meet them on airplanes, cruise ships, waiting for a taxi, and even surfing the internet blogs! I want to share an interesting list of “resolutions” that came my way… it comes from film producer Peter Guber.
10 New Year’s Resolutions You Must Make For Your Greatest Business Success
Join Me in the Locked Room!
Yes I know it sounds ominous, but let me explain…our school does not “expose” magic on our Web TV channel, so we created a safe place, a ‘virtual classroom’ behind closed doors, to share our magic techniques with our students. We call it “The Locked Room.â€
I have 2 Locked Room training sessions coming up:
Fire Magic – I will teach some of the most impressive fire magic ever seen. Audiences LOVE fire magic! How to best travel with fire props, the best fire magic effects and why!
Silk Magic – I’ve toured the world using silk magic in my show. Now, for the very first time, I have created a special 90 minute training session where I will teach you all I know, as well as anything you might ask about, and you can learn my favorite silk magic effects.
Larry George, Bryce and Tobias are all teaching classes in “The Locked Room,” too, so come see what we are building for you!
Real Magicians Help Others’ Dreams Come True
You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us.
And the world will live as one.
— John Lennon
New things are happening with our online Magic School. Â Our business is helping make our students dreams come true… and here is how we do it. IÂ sincerely hope you will consider joining us to become a member of the VIRTUAL Magic & Mystery School. Â Not only will you receive special benefits at each level of membership, but you will also help the School fulfill its mission of improving the art of magic one magician at a time! Learn more.
Passion and Commitment
One of our passions is helping to create a thriving community for magicians. Recently our Mystery School Monday show featured an episode on Magical Community. You can watch it online.
Jeff McBride’s WONDERGROUND
WONDERGROUND is the center of the Las Vegas Magic community.
— Paul Vigil, Las Vegas Close-up Magic Artist
Photo Credit: Flash Adams
I love hosting my friends at my nightclub experience here in Vegas. We are now in our 4th year!  This kind of long run is unheard of for a non-casino show in Las Vegas!
International Magic Festival Night at Wonderground!
One night only, Thursday January 17th, 7:30-Midnight! This month we will feature a global line-up of new acts never before seen in Las Vegas!
From Brazil: International award winner Henry Vargas
From Singapore: the new Asian star of Magic, Kyle Ravin
From the UK: Matt Black comedy magic
Las Vegas Street Magic by Michael Whitson
“The Shocker” returns with new magic and mayhem!
Mythic Dance by Jenevieve the Serpentine Sorceress
Christian Diamond will be the elegant host the Close-Up Theater
Tim Wise will host the 8pm Variety, Magic & Comedy show
MC Leo Diaz will mix master the sonic landscapes
THE NWR Dancers will perform 2 NEW sets of sensual belly dance
ART INSTALLATIONS by Areeya, Suzanne Lugano, Cameron Grant & local artists
TAROT & DIVINATION by Morganne & Stephanie.
To top it all off, Jeff McBride will perform a new “World Premiere” set of magic.
For complete info go to www.vegaswonderground.com
Ludlow, KY – McBride Magic Experience
The day after WONDERGROUND, I will jet to Kentucky, for one of my 2-day mini-conventions, featuring my full evening 1-Man show, my NEW Show Doctor Lecture and a full day SUPER SESSION workshop!
My full tour schedule is here:
http://www.mcbridemagic.com/pages/calendar.php
Mystery School Goes Hollywood – February 4th through 10th
Yes friends, I know you have been waiting for two years for us to return! The faculty of the MAGIC AND MYSTERY SCHOOL will take over the ENTIRE Magic Castle! Every theater and showroom will feature one of Mystery School teachers! We will also offer a Sunday afternoon lecture, for Magic Castle members only.
Abbi and look forward to our time with our friends in Hollywood! We will see YOU online at www.mcbridemagic.tv. You can tune in 24 hours a day to catch the streaming magic!
We LOVE the muse letter and it is our way of staying connected with YOU! Hey, you can always press “reply” to these Muse letters and Jeff and I will shoot you a hello right back!
Yours in magic community,
Jeff and Abbi
From Tobias:
Dear Friends – Happy New Year!
After this very long Museletter, I just wanted to chime in to let you know we still have 2 spaces left in the “Magic for Speakers and Presenters†master class from March 15-17, and 4 spots left for the Master Class that follows it, from March 18-24. Grab those spots now…they’ll go fast!
https://www.magicalwisdom.com/events
Best to all.
Sincerely,
Tobias Beckwith
Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
— Alfred Lord Tennyson
Dear friends:
Welcome to our new year. And, if you follow the Mayan calendars, to the new B’ak’tun — a term for one of their long cycles, each of which lasts for about 394 solar years. As it turns out, the Mayans never predicted an “end of the world†scenario for the recent turning of their calendar. As it turns out, their calendars track many different cycles, some of which are roughly analogous to our lunar cycles, monthly calendars and solar cycles. And on December 21, 2012, a lot of those cycles all cycled to zero. What does this mean? Nothing really. It is just another system for counting time, not unlike the significance of New Year or midnight. Once upon a time some human being somewhere decided it would be useful to count time in that way.
Nonetheless – the new year, the new B’ak’tun, the new era – and each and every new day, when it comes right down to it – give us each a chance to begin again. Wise men learn from the past, but are not governed by it. When you can let the past go, look to your future, and live fully in the present, real magic is possible. Each one of us has the potential, the real ability, to make each of our wildest dreams a reality. But to do so, we must let go of our old, imagined limiting beliefs, and be willing to re-create ourselves as the ones who will live those dreams. Jordan Wright is our guest author this month, and he addresses an issue which I KNOW has been one of my own limiting beliefs: The feeling that I must do it all myself, instead of enlisting the aid of others whenever I could.
In Praise of Professionals!
by Jordan Wright
In my travels I meet many magicians, see many websites, am shown many promo videos, and collect countless business cards. The one glaring issue of everything I see is people trying too hard to make everything themselves. How many of have at one time or another attempted to make our own promotional materials? These days, with every aspect of design accessible on our computers, it is so easy to become caught up in a desire to do everything ourselves just to save a few bucks here and there. With very little knowledge of graphic design, we can download software to make it easy for us to design our own business cards. Most of our computers come with free video editing software that gives the ability to edit our own demo videos. Why would we want to pay someone to design our website when there is such an abundance of free and low-cost programs that claim to be easy to use?
The answer is that we pay someone else because they have specialized knowledge. Just because we have the ability to do everything ourselves does not mean we will do the best job. Hiring a professional who has studied graphic design, video production and marketing will often produce much better results than we could produce on our own, whether it be for business cards, a website, or a demo video.
Everyone has his or her own area of expertise. Just as some magicians excel at card controls, other magicians are excellent at mentalism. Some people’s specialty is graphic design, and they know the process inside and out. By trying to make everything ourselves, we end up taking time away from what we are really good at. And often times things do not turn out the way they would have had we only consulted a professional – someone with specialized knowledge. You end up sacrificing quality by cutting corners.
Many people say that money is tight and they cannot afford to have everything professionally designed. The answer to that is to prioritize – decide what your budget is and what is most important for you to market yourself. Just remember that everything communicates. If your business card has perforated edges and looks homemade, then people will associate that with the quality and value of your work. I have found that the most successful people in the business hire other professionals to ensure that their materials communicate their message most effectively. Know your strengths and leave the rest to the professionals!
Thanks, Jordan! Great advice. I know many people think, “Once I’m successful, I’ll be able to afford to build a great team.†The truth of the matter, though, is that if you don’t build that great team NOW, you may never reach that point of success. Allies and team members support your dreams in so many ways, and they are really essential for success.
At the Magic and Mystery School, we are blessed with great team members. Many of you may not realize it, but Jeff, Eugene, Abbi, Larry Hass, Bryce Kuhlman, George Parker and I “get together†every Monday morning in a Google Hangout to discuss the week that will be coming up. Sometimes we’re joined by Jordan, Tim Wise or Leo Diaz – all valued team members. Each one of us brings different perspectives and different skills to the table, and each one makes invaluable contributions to the quality of all our endeavors, whether those take the form of “Monday Night Mystery School,†on mcbridemagic.tv, a new web-site for the school, upcoming classes, touring events where our various members perform and teach…or to this Museletter.
And so, before leaving you to consider what dreams you will realize for yourselves this year, I wanted to take just a moment to say thank you. First to Jeff and Eugene for dreaming up what has become the McBride Magic & Mystery School. Then to all those I named above – our “inner circle†who work together to make it all happen. And, finally, to all of you reading this. Without your interest and support, we could never do what we do. Each one of you, just by reading these Museletters, or tuning in on Monday evenings, or attending classes, is helping us to make our dream of creating better magic a reality. We are deeply grateful for that support, and for your sharing the dream with us. Happy New Year!
Tobias Beckwith
tobias@yourmagic.com
PS: Be sure and check our calendar at www.magicalwisdom.com for some exciting classes coming soon. We are offering our first ever “Magic for Speakers and Presenters†in March, along with our first 7-Day Master Class of 2013. Sign up now – it’s a great way to commit yourself to your dreams for the New Year!
“They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night. In their grey visions, they obtain glimpses of eternity.”
— Edgar Allan Poe
Greetings Magical Friends!
The China Tower Vanish Project is a giant illusion from a recent Chinese TV show. You may remember that our McBride Magic Team was commissioned to create the opening segment for one of China’s largest TV shows earlier this year. It was one of the largest scale magic illusions ever presented! Now you can see the result here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NY53qgqTd5M.
I just showed the video to Franz Harary, who was a huge help with the project. He said, “Jeff, I’m honestly proud to be your friend, and now… your associate. Whatever I can ever do to help you, just let me know.” What a great friend, designer and gentleman Franz is! We are very happy to be collaborating on projects with him!
Dream Big!
This is the time of year to dream big. The new year is coming, and we have a clean slate of possibilities ahead of us. My job as a magician is to remind you that anything you dream up can come true. Eugene Burger is a wonderful wizard. I’ve been deeply inspired by one of the things he said years ago; “Get bigger dreams.â€Â Yes, it is true, people often dream little dreams, or have no dreams at all. Being a magician is more than just being a dreamer, it is about making those dreams a reality. One of the techniques that I have learned is to focus on putting my energy into one major goal at a time.
“You can do anything you want; you just can’t do everything you want.”
— Folk wisdom
McBride Magic on the World Wide Web
Meet the Cast of Mystery School Monday!
We have a new video by Jordan Wright. Before the end of the month, we’ll have one hundred episodes! If you haven’t already been part of the fun, you can take a look at some of our past episodes at www.mcbridemagic.tv.
Last week’s show was a special holiday episode about Magic for All Seasons.
“It takes a lot of courage to show your dreams to someone else.”
— Erma Bombeck
World Tour News: The McBride Magic Experience
After I return from two weeks cruising in the Caribbean at the beginning of the year, I’ll be heading East for a show in Ludlow, Kentucky, (Just across the river from Cincinnati) on January 19 & 20. More info here: http://ludlowtheater.blogspot.com/.
Wonderground News
December 20th will be the next Wonderground, and we will be celebrating our third year of shows at The Olive Mediterranean Restaurant!
Please join us for Las Vegas’ biggest monthly magic party! It happens the third Thursday of every month! Every show is different! See this month’s new line-up.
Tobias wrote up our official press release.
McBride’s Wonderground has inspired our friends in Louisville, KY to start a similar event! Read about it. Hats off to Ray Smerlin for creating new opportunities for many performing artists!
It is my sincere hope that your big dreams for the new year come true, and if I can assist you in manifesting your dream, I will be happy to do so.
“Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.”
— Joel Barker
Have a happy holiday season, and dream big!
Jeff McBride