Learning Objectives • Bonus • Course Design • Challenges • Safe space • Workload • Contributions • Venue • Satisfaction • Extra events • Teachers • Expectations • Value • Changes • Future • Final comments
Extra events
There were a few extra events in the evenings.
• Pyrotechnics in magic, with Ottar Kraemer
• A Session with Jim Steinmeyer
• “Towards a mutual body of knowledge” session with the female participants.
• Open Stage performances
These extra events were good or bad? Too much or too little? Thoughts?
Comments
Pyrotechnics was very interesting and good. Steinmeyer discussion was sometimes difficult to follow for me.
I enjoyed the extra events in the evening, but I don’t know that they were very useful to me. The Jim Steinmeyer talk was interesting, but it was just a conversation without learning objectives. The talk on fire was fun, but I don’t know that I learned enough to actually apply it in a show. The big fire stuff is way beyond what I could possibly do. Even the smaller things like flash cotton and string could use a little more in depth instruction or examples before I could actually apply it.
As I stated earlier, maybe one more free evening could be a good thing. For me open stage was the best extra event so that’s definitely a keeper.
I really enjoyed the extra events , I feel like the course wouldn’t have been the same without them, Personally I would have liked more however I am unsure if I would have been able to take them in. The pyrotechnics lecture was absolutely phenomenal!
Honestly, I found Jim Steinmeyer’s lecture quite boring. I didn’t really took anything from that lecture. However, I really liked the pyro lecture with Ottar – that was amazing! Open stage was very fun too.
Pyrotechnics with Ottar was a highlight. The online discussion with the fantastic Jim Steinmeyer suffered from being an online discussion; it was fun to participate, but I’m unsure if it really added much. I would have preferred to listen to, for example, Martin Hansson or another one of our Swedish competition magicians, sharing their creative journey with competition magic, with FISM as the goal. But It can never be to much.
The most significant event was the speech by Jim Steinmeyer. I found the interview quite interesting, although I do not agree with much of what he said. Be that as it may, this interview allowed us to exchange ideas – and that was very positive.
There were good eventos and well received. To be all the groups together was great. Open Stage performace was great but I think it was a little long, I enjoyed so much the group discussion about honesty. Extra lectures were great but I was so tired that I must to confess that in some moments I was half asleep.
Overall, the extra events added significant value to the course, though their impact varied.
The pyrotechnic lecture was absolutely amazing! It stands out as one of the funniest lectures I’ve ever attended. The demonstrations at the end were particularly impressive, bringing the theoretical knowledge to life in a spectacular way. This event was definitely a highlight of the extra activities.
The Open Stage performances were another standout event. They provided a unique and valuable opportunity to see the actual stage personas of our colleagues. It was both surprising and entertaining to witness the diverse range of talents and performance styles within our group. This event not only showcased individual abilities but also fostered a sense of community and mutual appreciation among participants.
An additional event that deserves mention was the special session organized just for the ladies in the group. While I didn’t participate in this event, it indirectly benefited us guys by providing some desperately needed relaxation time. This break in the intense schedule was much appreciated and allowed us to recharge.
However, I must admit that by the time of the Jim Steinmeyer lecture, I was experiencing significant fatigue. As a result, I don’t remember much from this particular event. This experience highlights the intense nature of the course and the potential challenge of maintaining focus during evening events after full days of learning and practice.
In retrospect, while these extra events were generally beneficial and enriching, they also underscored the importance of balancing additional activities with adequate rest and reflection time. The quality of the events was high, but the quantity might have been slightly overwhelming given the already intensive nature of the main course.
Despite this, I believe these extra events contributed positively to the overall experience, offering diverse learning opportunities and chances for social interaction beyond the structured course content. The variety of events catered to different interests and needs within the group, enhancing the overall course experience
Loved the open stage! Think the other extra events was “lagom”. Maybe sometimes you were a little bit tired, because it was in the evenings after long days, but fun.
It was just enough, and I am happy there were optional as a few of the evenings my head was so full, that I just needed time and space to process.
The events were great. I particularly liked the open stage and I would have liked to have seen a lot more – I could have watched an hour longer without any problems. Above all, it helped me to see participants in a new light and appreciate them more.
For me the zoom lecture with Jim Steinmeyer was a big surprise and was very helpful to what I am doing. Personally I don’t have anything with pyrotechnics, but it was interesting to get to know more about this subject. I loved the open stage!
Jag tyckte att det var mycket bra både för att innehållet var intressant men också för att det blev något uppstyrt under kvällen. Jag Uppskattade också att många av dessa passen var i delgrupp.
Monday with Ottar was so fun. He’s a hoot. More of that always. I appreciated his practical displays and that he was so organized with a power point and a printed package. Brilliant. Tuesday with Jim was … interesting enough? For me less so. But maybe that’s because I have a lot more access to him than most, because of the Castle. Wednesday was a free night or a women’s discussion night. I needed a night off at that point, so I took one instead of going to the women’s discussion. That was the right choice for me. Thursday having the talent show was SO MUCH FUN! And Friday was the performances, which was also great. I liked that we concluded with Fika every night, that was truly wonderful. The only thing I would change is having a full night off for everyone on Wednesday, and maybe instead of a lecture on Tuesday, it would be fun if there was more of a mixer. There are a lot of new people every year from around the globe. You don’t really start to get to know your class until Thursday. You don’t really start to get to know the rest of the classes until Friday or Saturday. Yes, fika helps with that, but a lot of the people end up sitting with the same groups, so it doesn’t give an opportunity to meet others. I think some type of social activity on Tuesday would be amazing. Perhaps move the talent show to Tuesday night! And then another lecture to Thursday night, since Friday and Saturday are both seeing people perform again. This would help people get to know others better. That was the one thing I really wished for- that it hadn’t taken until the end of the week to really start to get to know people.
Extra events in general – without any particular one in mind – were good idea! Open stage is very good thing. What I found odd was the Female magicians event. I feel that having this evening just for women made it actually a little bit weird for us guys because we took female magicians simply as magicians, colleagues and this separation created this gap between us. Also having just female oriented evening and discussing female magic without us guys having a chance to listen and discuss it with them was a missed opportunity. I wish I could hear our female colleagues talk about their opinions on magic, about their struggles and things they have to endure as females in magic, but when this discussion is locked behind closed doors I cannot listen and learn this.
These extra events were icing on the cake! Well received and every one was relevant to what we were learning and practicing. The Woman’s group was appreciated and very useful. Contrary to comments I heard from folks who were not there, it was not a rag-on-the-guys session. It was a constructive and open discussion of the role and experiences of women in magic. It allows us to openly and frankly discuss issues we have experienced.
Very good and nice and I appreciated they where not “mandatory”
I like the extra events a lot. I loved the stage performances and the lectures the best.
Pyrotechnics was amazing! I was glad to learn more about them.
Good!
They were really good. Especially I enjoyed the pyro lecture
Loved all of them! Especially the pyrotechnics lecture.
Very good, the open stage was a great opportunity to see our peers in action and I really liked the social aspect of it.
Good, i would appreciate more of them
Ottars lecture was a nice contribution, to learn more about what products to buy is always nice. And also what to do if you are burned 😛 Wish i was xD
Just for myself I felt like it was a lot to also have the evening lectures as well. I didn’t attended many on them because I already felt pretty mentally exhausted from the whole day of study and performing.
Because of all the events there was no Free night for the women to sit and chill with everyone. It was nice to arrive early this year and have a meal out. Perhaps this could be added to the Middle of the course next year?
I liked the extra event with Ottar, although I found it a bit lengthy. Jim Steinmeyer also sparked my thoughts a bit. I feel it would be fun with extra events that are more engaging. Such as a dance event where someone teaches a choreography. Or something similar.
Steinmeyer’s lecture was interesting and it gave me lots to think about. The q&a was a nice addition too. The open stage was memorable! I would like to add more free time though to go to the city and just relax.
I like them. As I stated, the hard work and making full use of the hours fit me. I am exhausted, and it would have been nice sometimes to just relax and enjoy. But that’s not really why I came to the course. So I definitely wouldn’t want it any other way.
The extra lectures were good. Ottar discussed a topic I was not familiar with. Great to have Jim Steinmeyer to talk magic. The Open Stage is a nice relief after a long week.
Ottar’s lecture: super interesting. Great lecture, good insights. Never thought that pyrotechnics is such a technical sport.
I liked all of them. Wouldnt like to skip those, so the topics were interesting.
I liked everything except for the Jim Steinmeyer sermon.
They where good, but maybe I think some more evening to be just together with all magic friends is also valuable