What are some good magic tricks for a talent show?

My first statement would be that you should be doing something at a talent show that is already a talent of yours. I see far too many people in my magic store looking to perform magic for a talent show and they’ve never done magic at all.

If you already do magic and are looking for something that would work from stage, I would suggest rope tricks are inexpensive but play very large. The same goes for linking rings. If you’re performing for a large crowd, I would suggest at least 8" rings, but 10" or 12" would be even better.

If you are up to making props, check out the back of Mark Wilson’s Complete Course in Magic for instructions on making several larger props that would suit your purpose.

As to the proper music, etc….there is so much that goes into putting together an act. Remember, the magic is in you not in the wand. You wouldn’t want someone else picking out your clothes – especially not someone who doesn’t know you. Why would you allow someone you don’t know to pick out your tricks or dress your act? You might want to talk to someone at school who is into music for suggestions. Think about how long the music needs to run. Are you doing magic through it? What are you doing the rest of the time?

I use a song from an old 70s Broadway musical in my show. The piece normally runs about three and a half minutes. I had it tweaked to run just under three. The first minute, I’m not doing magic. I’m establishing a character and a story. There are then a couple of bits of magic that advance my story. Then a little more story by itself. Then finally a huge moment of magic. While I started performing it about 4 years ago, it took about three of those years to refine everything to a point that I’m happy with.