Wow, where has the summer gone! It’s been more than a month since I’ve had the time to write in my blog. It’s been a very busy summer. After the DISES Round Table in Tobago and IASE in Vancouver, I was off to Oxford, OH to conduct my first Magic Camp of the summer. I had about 40 students between the two classes and we all had some fun. They were all great campers who ended the week performing on the stage of Hall Auditorium to an excited crowd of family and friends.
After Magic Camp, I was home in Virginia for a few days before heading to Atlanta to speak at the Southeast HomeSchool Conference. I also exhibited there with the Hocus Focus curriculum. This was only my second homeschool conference and I think there’s a lot of future potential. Chase went along with me and it was out last chance to have some fun before he moved to Washington.
After Atlanta, I was on my way to Vancouver, B.C. for the International Association of Special Education Conference. This gathering allows for the professional exchange of ideas and research among special educators from all over the world. I attended in 2011 when it was in Namibia (Africa) to talk about the Hocus Focus Project and was invited to return this year in Vancouver, B.C. where I presented autism research and conducted an interactive workshop for educators.
As a result of this conference, I will be collaborating with Plymouth University in the United Kingdom (http://www.plymouth.ac.uk) on a joint project between their Education and Healthcare Science departments. In December 2013, I’ll be in the U.K. for a planning session and a press conference at Alnwick Castle (http://www.alnwickcastle.com) made famous by the Harry Potter movies. I can’t think of a more magical place to kick off this project! The week-long project will take place in May 2014 in Plymouth, U.K.
I also have invitations to teach in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania in Summer 2014. I’ll be working with the Council for Exceptional Children’s “Teaching of the Year” – Swaleha Mohamedali. There’s much more to share but I’ll save it for another newsletter.
MIAMI PERFORMING ARTS MAGIC CAMP – OXFORD, OH: The first Magic Camp of the summer was hosted by Miami Performing Arts in Oxford, OH. We had a morning and afternoon session filled with students. Every day, they would arrive enthusiastic and ready to learn the next set of tricks. By Friday, they were ready to present their own magic show – which they did, live on the stage of Hall Auditorium! I love watching them have fun and share their creativity! Check out this guy!
SMOKY MOUNTAIN CENTER FOR THE ARTS – FRANKLIN NC
We started the month of August with the first show of the season. This was the first time I’ve worked with Scotty Corbin – what a terrific experience! This is a beautiful theatre nestled deep in the Smoky Mountains and the audience for the evening was equally as terrific! Scotty wrote: “The Spencers brought their amazing illusions to our theatre in early August. We were blown away by the amazing stage production and the audience couldn’t get enough. We have had multiple patrons ask to see them again. Every aspect of the production was top-notch and very professional, on stage and off. The entire event was a wonderful pleasure. Thanks for a great evening!”
MAGIC LIVE – LAS VEGAS, NV
Once every two or three years, professional and semi-professional magicians from all over the world gather in Las Vegas for MAGIC LIVE. I was invited to talk to them about the Healing of Magic (www.MagicTherapy.com) and Hocus Focus (www.HocusFocusEducation.com) projects. I was asked to challenge them to become involved in their communities in more ways than providing entertainment.
Of course, you can’t go to Vegas and not walk the Strip. I managed to get out of the hotel a few times and see a couple of shows including David Copperfield at the MGM. Afterwards, we had the chance to visit backstage.
One of the best surprises was just outside Las Vegas. As the website states, “you’ll encounter one of the most exciting zipline courses in the world! A 3-hour, fun-filled, adrenaline-pumping adventure will take you atop of Red Mountain and send you screaming down historic Bootleg Canyon at speeds up to 60 mph!”
You can check out just one of my “Zip Line Adventures” here!
If you’re even in Vegas, you have to check out FlightLinez BootlegCanyon!
AMERICAN THEATRE MAGIC CAMP – HAMPTON, VA
After Vegas, it was off to the beach – Virginia Beach. This would be the fourth consecutive year I’ve conducted Magic Camp at the American Theatre. In the morning, I taught 15 students who were attending camp for the first time. In the afternoon, I taught another group who had attended camp in the past. In this advanced class, I had several kids who were attending for their fourth consecutive year! The week ends with a 75 minute performance by all the students for their families and friends.
I received some encouraging email from parents and grandparents afterwards:
“I want to thank all of the staff for being so wonderful and supportive of my grandchildren while at Magic Camp. Magic Camp certainly exceeded all of my expectations. My grandson Lucas asked if he could go to camp next summer before the performance Friday night was even finished. And my granddaughter Caroline went home and cried and cried because the camp had ended. Kevin Spencer was absolutely amazing. One could not have asked for a more exciting and encouraging teacher.”
“I had a great time last night at the show. You are AWESOME, as my great granddaughter Bianca has told me every morning when I picked her up for Magic Camp. All the young folks were fun and so at ease and did super tricks. You are such a gift to the children’s lives that you have touched – and my life also. Bianca is so looking forward to next year. Thanks again!”
DOCUMENTARY: MORE ALIKE THAN DIFFERENT
We are in the final stretch on the documentary film More Alike Than Different. The filming is complete and we are now in the editing process. Mwita and I spent the last few days in Chicago with Trent and his family capturing that list bit of film. I’m excited by the amount of interest we’ve already received from several National and International Film Festivals.
The goal of the film is to entertain and inform on two levels. First, audiences will learn how magic is being used as a therapeutic and educational activity for the physically and mentally disabled. Second, several unique individuals will have the opportunity to show the world how mastering a simple magic trick has been a journey of self-determination, ending in self-discovery and self-reliance.
Trent has several medical and psychiatric diagnoses as a result of a cerebral vascular accident prior to birth and a stroke immediate after delivery. Simply put, of the 100% of the information that enters Trent’s brain, only 5% of it can be processed. Here are two short segments of Trent’s Story.
