Hello -
Im the drum major of my high school marching band, and since my director knows Im a magician, he has been asking me to vanish from the podium. A football field isn't exatcly the ideal location, so the only thing I could come up with was a curtain (in a hoop) to pull up and drop through a trap (dont know how I would have that built for sure...) Im just curious if anybody has any advice - thanks a lot

A`trap would be impossible unless you could get a custom stage built. A curtain would look out of place and suspicious. What is around you that you could use for cover? Also, a marching band has lots of members, the confusion of many other marchers could help. If everyone circled around you then quickly moved away and your drum was laying on the ground would give the illusion you disappeared. The key is going to be to use what is available vs bringing something strange or foreign into sight like a curtain.

I was field commander for my highschool band last year as a senior. My band director and I talked about using magic in a field show. This year in DCI a drum corp changed a female gaurd member dressed in an arabian costume into a male gaurd member in arabian gaurd. They had a tunnel-like banner that guard members held up. The girl ran in and a guy ran out the other end, then the banner was bunched up and collapsed. I came up with a not-so-magical magic trick of making the whole band disapear.... to get back to your question... it would be kind of hard for what you are asking... you have the visitor's side to worry about for back angles and if your school is like most, your drum major uniform is completely different (at least color) than everyone elses. If your school has good funding and band boosters maybe you could afford to have a special podium made.

I guess I know more about magic than marching bands. A drum major doesn't have a drum?

Yea - its a bit of a deceptive title, but thanks a lot for the help both of you

Good suggestion Muzicman!

Houdini did a vanish using a principle along these lines. PM me if you want me to let you know what he did, I don't want to give away any "secrets" on this posting.

Kind regards
Mike

I think also it would be easier to make an appearance over a disapearance. Laffeyette High School made half of their guard appear from behind prop columns for their gladiator show a few years back here in Louisiana. An appearance, in my opinion, be easier.

Hey Asaklubs,
I'm a former bandgeek err....Drum Major too. I'm now 30 and still love going to band competitons and drum corps shows. Many years ago, (80's I think) a drum corps did the music from Phantom of the Opera and at the end, the DM, dressed as the phantom vanished in a De Kolta chair. I saw this before I was a magician and was VERY impressed. Ask your band director or if you have a corps in your area if they know who it was. I wanna say Phantom Regiment, but I'm not sure.
Good Luck,
Pepka

I know this is an old thread but I'm looking for an illusion or two for an Indoor Percussion show.



It was Santa Clara Vanguard. That was my first DCI Show..I was BLOWN AWAY!

Still looking for an Illusion or two that I could work into an indoor percussion show, if you have any ideas, Lemme know. We plan to have some sort of "appearance" at the beginging...sub trunk at the end. I need a middle (maybe two) Illusion that can be done surrounded.

Thanks I was glad to see that I wasn't alone in this one.

You might consider the "Parachute Game Illusion" appearance found in The Wizards' Journal #5. It works well in a stadium or gymnasium, assuming you have plenty of space for the parachute and enough people (some can be spectators) to act as assistants.

I'd suggest the "Balloon Levitation" of a small child, but you need a small child who is "in" on the illusion. It can be done surrounded and "seems" almost impromptu when it happens. If you want to check it out, it's in The Wizards' Journal #14.

Jim Gerrish's "Litter Vanish" can be done surrounded and is great for cheerleaders or baton twirlers. It's in his PVC Book 2 on my site.

Good luck with your percussion show. I finally figured out why you call yourself styck! Now I have to work on the 13. Maybe one of your illusions can be an appearance from inside a bass drum!

Styck=Drummer...yes.. 13 is my birthday (05/13) Just so you know.

Devon has a joke that he tells sometimes in his show.. He's the youngest memeber of the High School band..and he says "I'm in the band because chicks dig short guys in uniform" We're gonna work that bass drum illusion into the show for THAT JOKE. (at least while he is SHORT and in band hehe). He'll probably do THAT trick in his band uniform.

THANKS FOR THE INFO.. we'll look into it. Maybe I can get the band to buy us those books. heheheheheh (is that to sneaky of me?)

Greg

Not at all! Bands are used to raising funds and this show will probably help them do just that, so the small expense is well justified. You can tell them I said so.

I remember having seen a video somewhere of a band or corps that did the Phantom De Kolta vanish. I also know that a school here in Kentucky did a similar vanish many years ago.

I too was a Drum Major, and at one point I produced an appearing cane from the podium. However, that was just a one off time. I always wanted to have a costume change incorporated into the salute. I still think that that could be very cool.

The first illusion I ever performed was for an indoor band concert. It was a Giant shadow box like apparatus constructed of PVC. It was 6 feet tall maybe, and wider than that. Though not terribly deep. And it had fabric walls. The front and back 'doors' opened opposite of each other. It used that old principle with the front and back doors and such.

The routine started with the band director speaking about something. He was the transformed into me ala the ole roll up in the cloth transposition. I then did a brief routine in front of the Box. And then I showed it empty, and produced him out of the shadows.

It went amazingly well. I was very proud of it at the time. And it was a fairly inexpensive operation all-together. Something along these lines would not work on the football field as well. However, for a winter drumline it could do well.

The "offical Rules" will not allow lights. So the Shadow box is out. HOWEVER, That would be an awesome Idea for basketball games and the "recruitment tour" that we put together with this show though.

We're really trying to do something a little different with this show. I know that OUR band/drumline has never done anything like this. It's actually kindof exciting. I appreciate all the help. If anyone has any other ideas shoot them on. It has to be fairly inexpensive to put together, (us boosters are broke...like most booster programs) easy to learn (if it's easy to learn we can get to teh "make it pretty" part quicker) and be able to be surrounded (it's on a gym floor with spectators meandering up and down the ends and the "audience" is on the "home" side and kids that have just performed or waiting to perform is on the "visitors" side).

This is such a cool community...thanks for the help.

Greg