Greetings All…
“I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure, which is – try to please everybody.”
Herbert Swope
Teller said to me, many years ago, “Jeff, it doesn’t matter if the audience likes you during your show, as long as they’re standing up and cheering at the end.” A few years later, at Mystery School, Max Maven was on a panel discussion, and the topic of “likeability” came up. Max said that there is a frequently heard statement in show business, which is that “you have to make them like you.” Max disagrees with this somewhat, and thinks really what you have to do is to make them want to spend time with you. Granted, he says, making them like you will accomplish this, but there are other ways to accomplish the same goal.
One of the most valuable things we have in life is our time…. and how we spend it. Ask yourself a few questions:
Eighteen years ago, I asked myself these questions. Here are the steps I took. When I made a list of the most influential magical thinkers, the names Eugene Burger and Max Maven were at the top of the list. I wanted to study with these men. The next step was to create a place where we could meet. We called this place Mystery School. For a few days, we shared our stories, our intentions, and yes, great magic, too.
Spending time with inspiring teachers is one of the great pleasures in my life. It is a pleasure to be able to open our Mystery School to you. When the student is ready, the teacher appears. I want to thank the many teachers and faculty at the Magic & Mystery School for all the gifts that they have given to me and to our students.
I hope to see many of you this Fall at our Magic & Meaning conference. It would be my great pleasure to spend my time with you! If you’d like to see what we’re up to, go here:Â http://www.magicalwisdom.com/events/view/392
Onstage photo by Louis-Olivier Ostrowsky
Yours in greater magic,
Jeff McBride
FROM TOBIAS
Hi, folks! Jeff is just back from Italy, from whence I’ve been hearing lots of excitement over his show, lecture and workshop. Which reminds me — if your group, or a group you know, is interested in having Jeff come lecture, perform and conduct a workshop in your area — let me know! We’ve gone out of our way to take away as much of the financial risk as possible of having Jeff come out for these events — and we want to do as many as we can. The two day Show/Lecture and workshop is really a one-man mini-convention, brought to your location with very little financial outlay, and a chance to show a good profit for your club as well.
While Jeff has been traveling, I’ve been moving my home and office to El Sobrante, CA — just across the bay from San Francisco and Marin County. We’re on a sunny hillside and in a much larger house than before — and excited about all the new possibilities of being close to not only Silicon Valley, but Berkeley and San Francsico. It’s an exciting area, filled with vibrant, exciting – and especially magical people! My new phone number is (415) 889-9491. Of course, the Vegas number still works as well (forwarding to the new cell phone number). If you’re a magician in the East Bay area, I’d love to hear from you by e-mail to tobias@yourmagic.com.
Can you believe it’s September already? The summer flew by almost before I noticed! With the fall comes Magic & Meaning in late October, and I just wanted to let you know that if you wanted to come, but haven’t registered yet, we do still have a few slots available, and, when we last checked, the Marriott still had rooms available at reduced rates. October is a great time to visit Las Vegas — and right now, Vegas is particularly affordable. Sign up now at MagicalWisdom.com. If you’re not quite convinced you want to do it…go to the web site anyway and read all about it, including what your friends and acquaintances who HAVE attended have to say. Watch some of the PEP talks…and at least you’ll get to feel like you’ve participated in one of the magic world’s top events!
I hope this finds you gearing up for a happy and prosperous fall season. We look forward to being in touch again soon!
Sincerely,
Tobias Beckwith
tobias@yourmagic.com
“The idea that excellence at performing a complex task requires a critical minimum level of practice surfaces again and again in studies of expertise. In fact, researchers have settled on what they believe is the magic number for true expertise: ten thousand hours.”
–Malcolm Gladwell
Greetings Magical Friends,
Abbi here, holding down the home front while Jeff is away in China, touring with the All-Stars. I frequently travel with Jeff when he goes on the road, but sometimes, I stay home. It’s been fairly quiet here in the House of Mystery with the magic man being away. Granted there are daily calls from prospective students, and plenty of office work to tend to, accounting to keep track of, ads to proof and approve from our graphic designer and website improvements to work on… but I also have time for myself, which is pretty magical in and of itself.
I’m planning to break in some new material for the upcoming Master Class in August. When I’m not polishing my new Sympathetic Silks routine, or rehearsing my version of the Zig Zag, I spend time practicing my instruments. Many of you know that I have a passion for making music, and some of you know that I sing, and play hand drums, the African harp, and the piano. If you’d like, you can check out some of my music here:
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/asmcbride
I’ve been playing some kind of instrument since I was four. I fondly remember my first piano teacher, Mr. Charles Rose. He was the one who taught me how to practice. He told me that I had to spend at least half an hour a day, every day, at the piano, and that some of that time should be on new material, and some should be spent drilling my scales and other exercises.
As a child, I would get so frustrated, so angry that I would pound my little fists on the piano keys, infuriated that my fingers couldn’t produce the sounds that my mind could imagine. I didn’t want to drill and play scales, I wanted to play, like a virtuoso, and I wanted it right at that moment. Malcolm Gladwell, in his recent book, Outliers: The Story of Success, reminded me that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to achieve mastery. Hmm. That’s a lot of half hour sessions.
I asked Mr. Rose, “How long do I have to practice for… not how many minutes, but until I’m how old do I have to practice?” He said “You have to practice… until you want to practice.” His words stuck with me through the years, and sure enough, these days, I want to practice, a lot. In many meditative and contemplative schools of thought, your “practice” is the time you spend meditating or contemplating… your time to connect to your source of inspiration, comfort or divinity. As an artist, when I practice my music (or my magic), I am connecting; I am in a state of focused concentration, and, additionally, I am improving as an artist, taking one more step along the path to mastery.
So, perhaps, as you practice, whether it’s music, magic or something else entirely, you can bring some of this mindful awareness to your path, and like Eugene says, make it regular and make it conscious.
May this day be filled with magical surprises for you all!
Your friend,
Abbi McBride
Help Jeff McBride & Street of Cards make history!
Jeff McBride teams up this week with Street of Cards TV for the first ever live reporting from FISM — The World Championships of Magic, going on right now in Beijing. McBride is reporting using his tiny pocket camera, with instant uploads to the Street of Cards web site. If you’re a magic fan and always wanted to visit the biggest event in magic, but couldn’t make it in person — now you can be there virtually!
Go to http://streetofcards.tv/channel/27/jeff-mcbride/ now. We suggest keeping a window open — the blasts come through periodically. Until the next one is live, you can watch the archived reports Jeff has already filed.
I know we just sent you a Museletter earlier this week — but we didn’t want our friends and reader to miss out on this opportunity, which continues for just a couple of more days. We hope you’ll enjoy experiencing the World Championships of Magic with Jeff!
Best to all.
Sincerely,
Tobias Beckwith
“When we perform we, the cast, have an appointment with ourselves to meet each other and the audience at our best conscious moment.”
— Cesareo Palaez
People ask me what is new in the world of magic? What is exciting? How do you keep your passion for what you do fresh and vibrant? One of the keys that unlocks the doors to an exciting life is travel. I am very blessed that I have the opportunity to share my adventures with you in these letters to you, my friends.
THE ROAD TO CHINA…
Well, it’s not actually a road. I’ll be flying to Beijing for the World Championships of Magic, and then on a brief “Magic All Stars Tour.” Due to our demanding touring schedule, we are announcing the final confirmed classes here at the Magic & Mystery School for 2009. Right now, you have the opportunity to get the inside scoop of all the newest things happening here in Las Vegas.
Above is a photo by my brother, Clay, taken at a recent show.
Why aren’t there more women in magic? That is a question we hear often. The answer to this question will be explored here:
SISTERS OF MAGIC & MYSTERY
Master Class alumna and film-maker Gerry Timmerman will be featuring the Sisters of Magic & Mystery in her upcoming documentary. This will be an exciting addition to our already scheduled events…. Which include a special screening and discussion of the feature documentary Women in Boxes with Blair Larsen and an exciting workshop with Luna Shemada.
What is one of the new trends in the world of magic? You will find out when you explore the incredible world of martial arts magic and experience the mystery of mastery.
MAGIC & MARTIAL ARTS
Featured at this year’s event will be magician, author and martial arts expert, Tom Meseroll, Kung Fu weapons savant Bryce Kuhlman, and recent World Champion in Martial Arts Magic, Master Diaz. We will also have a contest! Magician/Inventor Sean Scott will be bringing with him one “Ki” DVD for each of our attending students.
The student who can come up with the best presentation or innovation with Sean Scott’s “Ki” will win a $700 three day Master Class. This is just one of the many exciting surprises we have in store for you who love the power of magic and the skills of martial arts. Take a look at last year’s film clip by Sensei Strange here:
3 DAY MASTER CLASS
This is the last Master Class of 2009. We are nearly full, so make your plans now.
Is it possible to travel through time and space? We think so!
FOCUS ON STREET MAGIC:
AN ADVENTURE IN TIME TRAVEL, PAST & FUTURE
Last year’s event was a blast! This year, all students will receive passes to THE AGE OF CHIVALRY Renaissance Faire. We will be hosted by the Greenwood Revelers, who have a great castle and performance stage for us to weave our magic into the fabric of this fun event! Students will meet some of the top street magicians on the circuit, attend special lectures on Street Magic, and even get a chance to perform close-up, or on the platform stage… and get feedback, too! The evenings will have the option of students either performing street magic on Las Vegas Boulevard, or the many high-tech nightclubs that Las Vegas nightlife has to offer.
Who are the most brilliant thinkers in the world of magic? Many of them will be gathering at this year’s…
MAGIC AND MEANING CONFERENCE
This is our Mystery School Reunion and tribute to Bob Neale, who turns 80 this year! Dr. Larry Hass has done a wonderful job organizing new presenters for this year. Jeff will be hosting an evening of his new works in progress; Fred Turner is back this year, coordinating the Works in Progress. If you would like to present a PEP talk, or would like to present your Work in Progress for feedback, get in touch with Fred or Larry. Their contact information can be found on the website:
Does magic have the power to heal the body, mind and spirit?
MAGIC AND MEDICINE
Abbi and I have been in contact with Dr. Randall Wolf, and are awaiting confirmation on his schedule. Last year, he flew in directly from China, and we are hoping for his return this year. Due to our demanding travel schedule, this is the last year Magic and Medicine will be an annual event. The next one will be in 2011, so if you want to attend, come this year!
Do you want to learn how to read minds? …. Or at least create the illusion of mind-reading?
MASTER CLASS FOR MENTALISTS
This is one of our favorite events, because we get to spend quality time with one of the great psychic entertainers of our time, Ross Johnson. Ross always delights us with his powerful presentations and in-depth knowledge. If you have not attended this event, you don’t know what you’re missing. Here’s a clip:
Thanks for taking the time to read these updates. We look forward to seeing you at one of these great classes….
Your friends in magic,
Jeff & Abbi
FROM TOBIAS:
First, many thanks to our magical friends here in Silicon Valley. We had a wonderful group for both Jeff’s show and lecture in Fremont last Friday and for his workshop at The Magic Garage in Sunnyvale on Saturday. Both he and I had a terrific time, and look forward to his next visit here in the Bay Area. We’re looking for a good group to host him north of the city later this winter…if someone reading this is interested, please let me know!
Our other big news is that we’ve just posted and opened registrations for our classes through the end of the summer 2010. By the time you read this, I may have the full year’s schedule for 2010 up. So you can start making your plans now – classes seem to be filling faster and faster, so the earlier you get your registrations in, the better chance you’ll have of attending the class that’s your first choice.
Best to all.
Sincerely,
Tobias Beckwith