There’s an assumption in many areas of life but especially in magic. It’s that we know how to learn. We assume that since we attended school and graduated with a degree from high school or college that we learned how to learn. After a corporate education career, I would argue that perhaps some but not all did.
This is particularly true in magic. We confuse understanding with knowledge and most importantly skills. Let me explain my definitions. Understanding is the awareness of how something is done. It’s the basis of learning. Knowledge is built on understanding. It’s the details and the steps of how something is done. Through practice and repetition, this knowledge turns into skills.
There’s few who have written about learning in the magic world. This is why I was surprised to find the following steps in the introduction to the Gary Ouellet’s manuscript, Super Shells. I’d purchased it many years ago at a flea market but never spent much time on it.
Super Shells was the second in a series of manuscripts published by the Camirand Academy of Magic. The original manuscripts are still available on second hand lists. However today’s magicians can purchase the entire collection from Meir Yedid.
I don’t know if the steps were developed by Ouellet or Guy Camirand as both held advanced degrees from major universities. The steps would serve any of us well in learning new magic.
The only improvement I could offer is one that was recommended by Eugene Burger: read and record the instructions for step three. This way you won’t be flipping back and forth as you work the routine with props in hand.
