For Brighton camp, the magic is in the confidence kids get

When it comes right down to it, being a good person and being a good stage magician have much in common, according to Thomas Graham, the director of wonder at White Rabbit Magic Camp.

It’s what he aims to do this summer, using prestidigitation and sleight-of-hand to teach Brighton area youth life skills about being confident, creative and prepared – part of his list of seven magic characteristics.

 “The curriculum focuses on developing respectful, prepared, enthusiastic, confident, humble, creative, authentic, and giving children, using magic tricks to illustrate these values,” Graham said. “Each trick is designed to instill a specific characteristic, which can be applied to everyday life. It’s to teach them to be true magicians, which exemplifies all of those characteristics, through magic.”

Graham said that it is a life skills class disguised as a magic class. The goal is to help them become true magicians, embodying all those characteristics through magic. 

“For example, when we teach them to be respectful, we teach them to look people in the eyes and use their names and say please and thank you as they’re performing their magic tricks,” he said. 

The Magic Camp offers its own summer camps and after-school programs in collaboration with local schools.

“Discover Magic is the curriculum I use, which was created 10 years ago,” he said. “I started White Rabbit Magic Camp last year, and using that curriculum, an internationally recognized program used across the world.

“We then teach them to be prepared and to set up the magic trick. However, all these characteristics cross over into their daily lives and can also be applied to their everyday experiences.”

Thomas’ wife Jenny assists with the classes. Each camp is structured to give the kids a real stage experience, she said.

From Monday to Thursday, they practice and perform small shows. Then, on Friday afternoon, all the families gather for a special performance, where the kids can choose one of the tricks they’ve perfected throughout the week to showcase for everyone.

“The kids have eight magic tricks to choose from, each with different levels of difficulty and creativity,” she said. “Some of them are neat and will wow the crowd, while others resemble the little kid versions of, ‘Look how I folded my paper!’ It’s cool, and they each represent different levels of magic.”

The White Rabbit Magic Camp will be collaborating with Commerce City’s Bison Ridge Recreation Center on a shortened camp on Monday evenings, and Graham said he is also coordinating with the Brighton Recreation Center and the Fort Lupton Recreation Center. 

“We live in Fort Lupton, so we did a magic show for their summer camp on Friday, and we partner with libraries for their summer programs,” Jenny said. 

Interested parents can register directly with the camp or through their nearby summer camps.

“You can register for the program through the schools that host it. If someone is interested in our program for their school, they can email us at White Rabbit Magic Camp,” she said. 

Or, you might bump into Thomas in public, she said. He had a booth at Brighton’s Summerfest this year to promote his camps.

“He’s always at community events, spreading the word and showcasing his tricks and magic to involve people wherever he can,” she said. “He performs at birthday parties and barbecues, delivering a complete performance.”

The tricks Graham teaches depend upon his students’ age, he said. The programs start with kindergarten-age magicians and go up.

“The curriculum extends until age 13 or 14, depending on the child’s personality, as some kids are really into it and very skilled,” Jenny said. “For example, with sleight of hand, he will teach them coin tricks and similar skills, which build confidence, stage presence, and the ability to maintain eye contact.”

The goal is to help the kids feel confident and to help them gain a sense of accomplishment, she said.

Some of the tricks don’t require a lot of talking, but are more visual, which helps build that set of skills, she said. Others come with stories, which helps them develop storytelling skills as they practice in front of a mirror. 

“It gives the kid the option of how much they want to vocalize it. They start off quieter and can perform this trick and say, ‘Pick a number.’ That’s all they have to say,” she said.

“Any version of a magician is entirely welcome. They may continue to be a quiet magician, or they might be a stage performer with a storyteller.”

For more information about Magic Camp, visit: www.whiterabbitmagiccamp.com