Learning Objectives • Bonus • Course Design • Challenges • Safe space • Workload • Contributions • Venue • Satisfaction • Extra events • Teachers • Expectations • Value • Changes • Future • Final comments
Teachers
What is my opinion about the instructor/instructors (Tom, Leif, Oskar & Peter)?
(Not seeking general flattery, but knowledge about what worked and what can be improved. How did you perceive their competence in their fields and knowledge as teachers for magicians? Were they able to listen? General behavior? Gender perspectives? Foundation of values? Language skills? Anything, good or bad.)
Comments
Tom: I don’t know any other magician, who can explain the important concepts in magic more clearer than him. Also he is a very good observer when it comes to help other magicians with their specific problems. Very clear thinker.
Leif: I liked the fact that he picked us up and then gradually introduced us to more difficult tasks. He is not as structured and rule based as Tom: “Everything in theatre is possible”. This makes learning a bit more difficult for me. The directors session with him was wonderful!
Oskar: Seems to be inaccessible at first glance, but was warmhearted, friendly and helpful later on.
Peter: I would like to work with him in the future.
All: Very friendly, openminded and helpful. A big thank you to all of you!
I was very impressed with all of the instructors. Although, we only had Peter for one short discussion about ethics in magic so I really can’t comment on him. Tom’s depth of knowledge about each subject is obvious. I thoroughly enjoyed how principles were taught and then applied with a team project. I enjoyed Leif’s obviously high level of experience in the theatre and magic. I especially like how he gave instructions from a director’s point of view.
Im sorry, I really don’t have anything to say that could help you Improve. I think all Teachers were encouraging and were easy to approach if wanted to ask something. Also you weren’t pushing your advice which is also a important skill. sometimes student is in FoFo-phase* and needs to be left alone. And you were also really good at creating atmosphere of trust and safe space to try new things.
So knowing this, next time I bring some really difficult routine to work with and will be constantly asking for advice.
(*Fuck of, Find out. term I heard from a windsurfing coach, sorry for bad language)
The instructors were very knowledgeable and clearly very experienced in their respective fields, Leifs classes would have benefited from some more structure to enable me to remember better what was taught, other than that everything was perfect.
Since I’m quite new as a magician on this level, I haven’t that much experience of magic courses. But from my perspective, I think you all did a really good job.
During the short time we spend with Peter it was clear that he is a brilliant thinker and teacher. Looking forvard to studie with him. Both Leif and Tom are great in their field just the fact that they sometime has differnt ways but seeking the same results makes the course even stronger. Oskar is a great propbuilder, som where a little disappointed that we didnt do wands. But the skills we tried is much more close to the level of propmaking that we are faced with more regulary.
Right from the start, all the teachers proved to be patient, capable and ready to listen. They allowed the class to be creative while following precise guidelines. I am generally satisfied.
Great teachers. Tom: I liked that about not to compare our major weakness with biggest success by others. Classes well structured. Leif: I enjoyed the classes with him. As I am interested in teather skills his classes were so appealing for me. Sometimes it seems like Leif has a lot of ideas and doesn’t know with which one work first. Oskar: I felt like he was improvising and no to so comfortable with the material, particularly the tarot card. I had problems to construct it and I felt like he hasn’t sure how to construct it neither. Peter: we had only the sessions about honesty but was incredible. A very well managed discussion sessions and I barely felt the time
Tom: Tom proved to be an absolute legend in the field. His displays of magic were jawdropping, truly showcasing the work of a master magician. What stood out most was his teaching approach – he struck a perfect balance between thorough explanations and challenging us. By sometimes throwing us a curveball where we had to build team exercises as we felt best, he encouraged creativity and independent thinking. This approach was highly effective in pushing us to apply what we’d learned in our own unique ways.
Leif: Another master of his art, Leif’s teaching style was characterized by brutal honesty. However, it was clear that this stemmed from having our best interests at heart. His goal was to carve out the best possible performer from each of us, even when we presented as hard and stubborn shells. This approach, while potentially challenging at times, was ultimately very valuable in pushing us to grow and improve.
Oskar: Despite my personal lack of crafts skills, which limited what I could accomplish during Oskar’s sessions, I found him to be an excellent instructor. He was extremely knowledgeable, funny, and supportive throughout. The limitations I experienced were entirely on my end – I simply don’t have the aptitude for the particular skills he was teaching. However, for those with the inclination towards crafts and prop-making, I imagine his sessions were invaluable.
Peter: My experience with Peter was more limited, as we only had one group discussion with him. I found this session to be somewhat repetitive, with the conversation seeming to go in circles at times. However, outside of this structured session, Peter proved to be an extremely supportive presence throughout the week. He was an amazing person to talk to, offering insights and encouragement in our informal interactions.
In terms of gender perspectives and foundation of values, I didn’t notice any significant issues. The instructors seemed to treat all participants equally and respectfully. Language skills were not a barrier; all instructors communicated clearly and effectively.
If there’s room for improvement, it might be in tailoring some sessions (like Peter’s group discussion) to be more focused and productive, and perhaps finding ways to make some of the more specialized skills (like Oskar’s crafts) more accessible to those who struggle in that area. However, these are minor points in what was overall an exceptionally well-taught and valuable course
Thought all the teachers were good listeners and nice to talk to, so no complaints there. Maybe the prop making class felt a little unprepared, the feeling was that the teacher decided in the last moment what we were going to do/make… but I could be wrong. But overall all the teachers were competent in the magic field they taught
The day that we spent learning how to build props was very basic. This could have been enhanced and maybe spread over a few days instead of all on one day. Over a couple days would have provided processing time. When we met with Leif to go over directing a magic show, I wish I would have thought to record it to see the comments later. Several times, I was so in the moment I didn’t even think about recording it. Maybe a class recording so we didn’t have to think about and we could see the comments and ideas for other performers after the fact would be beneficial.
All workshop leaders conveyed a feeling of confidence and competence in their field.
It was fun to learn from them.(Leif always apologized in one situation that he didn’t know the names – however, there was no moment when he could have learned the names as no one introduced themselves. Perhaps that could be done)
I came to this course because I know Leif and he is a great teacher. I was a bit nervous in the beginning, but I am happy that in the first lesson Tom did discussed this feeling and this made me feel more comfortable in being creative with others. I learned a lot and feel more confident now than I was before. The prop making class was for me the least interesting. Simply because I don’t like to make props and still don’t. But if I need to make something I know how to do it now. I had no classes with Peter, only spoke him during Fika and other moments and that helped me as well in making me feel very welcome. So in general I am very positive about the knowledge and the positive and welcoming atmosphere during the classes and after.
Jag känner mig otroligt tacksam över att jag fått ha er som instruktörer. Detta känner jag på grund av flera anledningar. Ni är extremt bra på det ni gör och ni är dessutom bra på att lära ut.
Tom and Leif are both brilliant- you can see their expertise in their fields, and also their experience as teachers and lecturers shine throughout the whole week. Every 90 minutes was well thought out, organized, principles based, and a perfect balance of time learning in a lecture setting and time learning by doing. I can’t say enough positive things about them. They were both kind, supportive, educated, well spoken, and open-minded. You can tell they have spent so much time thinking through everything we went over and the principles behind it all. And you can tell they both love sharing and supporting and passing on what they’ve learned. I felt fully valued, respected, and supported. I learned SO much! Peter I only had one discussion with and it was really just him facilitating us discussing a topic with each other. He was a great mediator and had brilliant points he added in here or there. He was very good to keep the discussion on track. I didn’t work with him outside of that. Oskar is so sweet and so creative, but is definitely a bit quirky and takes his time to reach the points he is trying to make. I wish I could have learned by watching him do his craft and explain what he was doing and why during the process. It was harder for him to just stand there and explain things. He comes across as a brilliant creative force, but maybe less comfortable in the teaching aspect of it. I do feel like I still learned a lot from him, though.
Tom 10/10, Leif 10/10, Peter I could not get to know much – so 8/10, Oskar and his workshop 7/10.
Tom and Leif were clearly in their element when they taught. Each clearly lives and breathes the subject they presented or facilitated. They are respectful, understanding and patient.
Oskar taught the maker/crafts class and took a while to get warmed up. He is clearly knowledgeable in his craft and did not hesitate to answer questions when asked. Some of his instructions were vague and hard to follow, although he stuck with a student until they got it.
Peter ran one class with us and was a very good facilitator. He handled an issue which came to light in his class (Thursday Music) with balance and thoughtfulness. His class — Honesty in Performance seemed to evolve into a discussion of Ethics and Respect. A very good discussion. I look forward to seeing more of Peter in the future.
All good. Especially appreciated Leifs mask class. It was also fun prop making with Oskar. Toms calm and confident lectures are always appreciated and never felt any pressure
Tom and Leif really put in a lot of effort and thought. I felt like I really worked on those days. Peter was really nice, but the discussion wasnt that stimulating, I wish there was more with him because I liked him as a person and wanted to learn more from him. Oskar’s prop making was very disappointing I’m sorry to say. He felt unprepared and like he didnt want to be there. I also understand that Tim Star is a tough act to follow. We all loved Tim so much and I was really looking forward to seeing him again. I dont feel like “we got our money’s worth” with Oskar. I dont want to be mean, I’m just being honest.
I thought that you all were respectful and informative.
They were good
Tom has cultivated an environment of creativity and trust. For me, it made me feel comfortable trying things outside my normal go-tos. He has great ideas on how to improve something in your own voice and doesn’t push a rigid performance style. Tom is well-prepared for the lesson and has an engaging way of knowledge-sharing. Leif’s instruction makes me a better performer, hands down. The exercises in body-voice connection ground performances in honesty. Leif sees ways to make small improvements that add up to a big impact. It was nice to see my coursemates gain confidence as the week went on. Oskar is creative and knowledgeable, but I felt under-prepared. With Tim, I left with professional props that I could use immediately. This year it was more theory rather than actually making something. Everything I made, aside from the puzzle, didn’t survive the trip home. I can see that Oskar is a wealth of prop-making information, just would have been nice to have created something with his expertise.
Very good overall, can’t really think of any criticism at this point. I felt like all of the teachers were there to really share their knowledge and help us to improve our work.
Voluminous vocabulary. All three were kind and always found the time to help and give feedback.
All the instructors was great. And “look out” has forever been more stuck in my mind! I wish we could have hade one more class with Peter. Also in the prop-making it would have been good to get an outline beforehand about what the lessons involved. Then I could have brought something else to make a mold from 🙂
the instructors themselves were good and each played to their strengths, only the prop making could have been better in my opinion, Oskar was good I just feel that last years course the items we made were more useful whereas this year it seems to have more of a “one size fits all” kind of feel, which was very useful but I personally didn’t enjoy it as much.
Leif was a wonderful instructor and gave positive instruction. Tom is fantastic in bringing the theory to life. Oskar workshop was amazingly constructive and whilst lasts year saw us using specialist tools, this was super in its kitchen table simplicity, which means I feel I really can recreate what I made at the course. Peter insight into the honesty of magic is making me re-evaluate my magic stories/performances
Oskar made sure to help me a lot during prop making class. I liked that there was that kind of space for personal help. Leif was also good at listening and answering the questions we had.
Tom: A genius in magic theory. Super clear instructions and explanations of theory and supportive as always!
Leif: The classed are torture but this year he was much more gentle with us 😉 Leif is an amazing teacher and the theatre school methods and exercises are so much fun!
Oskar: I loved how patient and fun Oskar was during the prop making classes. He gave clear instructions and helped when help was needed. This year I learned much more useful things from the prop makings than last year because these were things I could really make at home, too.
Peter: What a nice guy! He helped me with my routines I was stuck with and shared so much knowledge that I took more notes from our conversations than from the lessons themselves.
Tom: profound knowledge in the art of magic. Full of references, examples and not only “this works” – there is always a “why” provided as well. I particularly like the approach, sort of a scientist in the field. Each exercise is to the point. Funny and engaging. I like the basic philosophy and approach that he is teaching. Modest and generally just a nice person, that is impression.
Leif: so much experience from both magic and theatre, and working with magicians as a director. Very valuable to take part of the lectures and get guidelines, new ideas, broadened perspectives and try out things. For me, these are the most challenging exercises. His sessions feels more like an experiment we are taking part in, more exploration. Helpful and nice.
Oskar: very knowledgeable, very relevant background for the crafting lectures. Easygoing, funny, helpful and good material. Managed to make the crafting very practical, “you can do this anywhere with tools and materials you have around”-kind of feeling afterwards. Feels like a fixer of great proportions and managed to, at least for me, boost the idea that we can create things ourselves, to bring the audiences in to the worlds we create.
Peter: a very nice addition to the team of teachers. Again, a great mix with both theatre/acting and magic. We only had a few touchpoints, but I liked the discussions on honesty in performance. I think it was nicely moderated. Helpful, friendly and nice.In all, I feel like the teachers share similar views and the same value base. We are all equal regardless of background, ethnicity, gender or whatever. You are all acting friendly, helpful, approachable and nice and I have learned from each of you. So thank you! You are all setting the foundation for the safe space and collaborative atmosphere.
All the instructors knew what they were talking about. Oskar was clearly an expert in crafting things for specific themes. Tom had a vast knowledge of psychological and technical aspects of magic. Leif was pushing us to try and out and explore the theatrics of our magic. Peter was a good discussion leader and had knowledge of honesty in performance.
I really work hard to help you, Tom, to say something terrible, but I cannot. These are probably nicest and most dedicated people I met in the past few years. (What a life I have…). Just one story: Friday, ~10pm. Leif just got to the Fika to have something to eat. I asked his help and without any objection he came to our room and helped me with my stuff. Then, after a half hour, when I finished some other fellow participant asked his help… And Leif spent another 1.5 hours with that guy too. Wow.
True professionals all of them. Didnt know Peter.. but had some conversations with him.. and he really seemed to be a good guy. And I liked Oskars workshop too. Nice people and was easy to collaborate with all of them.
I like them all, looking forward for next year to work with Peter as well. Oskar is a nice guy and I really profited from his prop-making course. But I hoped for a bit more structure and a stronger connection to the magic world – especially when we did our TED-Talks.
I can’t come up with anything that they can do be better. They where just so good and perfect