No.

Val Valentino decided to go on television... (not my suggested method of showing how a trick works)

BUT:

As much as I hate the trick, I will deal down 21 cards, 3 rows of 7 cards... and when they say they already know it... I suggest going to the library and if they want help after getting a book, I will be more than happy to help.

I agree! I work with kids, which gives me many opportunities to show some magic. It also results in MANY requests to be taught a trick. I most often teach simple "challenge" type effects (linking paperclips using a dollar bill, cutting a hole in a card big enough to fit through, etc.)

Sometimes I will teach a basic magic trick. I will teach either the trick where a pencil/pen/magic wand sticks to your hand, or rubbing a coin through your hand. I tell them to practice, practice, practice and when they master it I will show them another. I like these because they are simple, easy, and teach some basic but important magic principles (misdirection, patter, timing, etc.). Very few have actually followed through, but when they do I know they are serious. I've had a few become very serious about it. It's exciting to see someone get bit by the "magic bug" for the first time! And yes, the library still exists, and still carries magic books!

I usually show a SWCT. I strongly believe that magic lives on if it is passed on. I never have a problem showing a few things, but tell them to master 1 befor I show more. I have found that I get a lot of people saying "well XXXXX showed me a trick you taught him, and he said if you think I am good then you should see Mike, he is amazing. Also, someone showed me OOTW @ a young age, and the trick is part of what got me into magic.

When I was 8, one of my father's business partners would come to the house and do magic. One time he did a card trick where I ended up sitting on the selected card. I asked him how it was done and he challenged me to come up with a way to do it. I came up with a way to do the effect and to this day, I have my method, and I'm not sure if it is the same as his method. If he had shown me the method, I would probably have no interest in magic today. I have read many magic books and I have never seen the effect he showed me. I guess it was something he came up with on his own.

So, my advice is to show someone a simple trick and challenge them to come up with a way of doing it themselves. You could even give them a magic gift and challenge them to solve it. A really good example is the 2 1/2 cent trick. This trick can be found on the internet as the 4 1/2 cent trick. I just ask them to subtract two at the end. I give them the two whole pennies and the one half penny. They now have everything they need to reverse engineer the trick. The 4 1/2 cent trick is a really good example of a trick that anyone could figure out if they had ANY interest in magic. However, most won't bother to figure it out.

Magic is something that has to be earned, not given. You are not doing anyone ANY favor by "giving" them magic.

KJ

I agree with the previous statement. Nobody showed me how to do Magic. I had to learn myself. I do not teach anyone.
The Mystery of Magic should be preserved. I like the idea of challenging the person who wants to know to come up with their own way.
If someone asks me how something is done I ask them, Can you keep a secret? If they say yes, I say, So Can I!

I started my magic journey at a young age when my older brother produced 4 aces from inside of his jacket. I asked him how it was done and he mentioned to me that he was not giving his secret away. I later found the trick he performed from reading my father’s “Scarne on Magic” book he purchased through Reader’s Digest book program from the 70’s. I believe if one has interest in magic or any other hobbies they must do the legwork themselves to have any enjoyment.

Never expose. Greg is right.

I have found when great interest has been shown to my magic, every once in a while I will offer a beginner book, “Now You See It….” it’s one of the best I’ve come across. Wish someone had pointed me towards it when I was young as it is quite excellent, though it is never greatly mentioned. 😉

But I did once teach a young woman a simple card trick, and she practiced it so well that she performed it flawlessly, creating a further interesting mystique in her person. 😊

Lots of people want to be able to play guitar, but few want to learn to play guitar. And it is a waste of time to teach guitar to those who don't want to learn they only want to play an instrument. It is the same with magic. If asked to teach a trick to a group of children, that is mostly a waste. It is the parent expressing interest in the kids learning magic, not the kids. I would do one of two things. Either decline, or offer to teach a simple magic trick as an upsale item. Then purchase some cheap dollar store trick that is often overly exposed to children and teach that, you can charge the parent for all the copies of the item you purchase plus a little extra for the teaching. I would teach the kids how to do the trick in its basic form, but first I would perform a legit routine using that item, a routine that involves some slight of hand so they can see the possibilities. (example: ball and vase, simple trick, often sold in dollar store places, but look up a video of Charlie Frye's routine, very magical) I would also have some business cards with a couple of recommended magic books or such resources to give the kids at such a teaching session. (good advertising). If any of the children really have a passion for magic, that would be enough to spark a beginning. But mostly in these situations you are not teaching kids a trick, you are just showing them how a trick is done. However, I do like the idea of realizing someone in the group may truly catch the magic bug and you can inspire and point them in the right direction.

I have addressed this problem by always having a bunch of packets of Adair's Butterfly available.

It is magical enough for kids and something they can take home and do for friends. If they treat it as a puzzle or optical illusion that is fine too.

On the side I tell the parents, "This is not really magic in the sense of challenging the impossible but is a good starting place.
Observe how your child presents this to friends. If they make it seem seems wondrous without a lot of ego then they might want to study magic at a higher level.
Give me a call and I can perhaps guide the next step." There are other inexpensive 'pass outs' available I am sure. I like this because if they don't find magic in the metamorphosis of a butterfly they won't be able to fake it with coins or balls.

However, I do think there is palce in teaching any audience today how to do a simple trick as part of Prelude approach. I am thinking of writing an eBook on this theme.

the eBook OPS Magic now available on lybrary.com. "Overture - Prelude -Scaffold" - an exploration into alternative
Presentation Modes in which evaluating a new audience is built into a routine, with Shifts and Branches preplanned.

One option of Scaffold is teaching the audience a simple magic trick, or Gifting one, as a means of Instructing what Performance magic is all about.