A thirty-minute, full-production magic assembly for elementary and middle schools across the Kansas City metro. Real lights, real illusions, real student volunteers on stage. The positive message is built into the show, not tacked on at the end. High school audiences — Post-Prom, Project Graduation, upper-grade assemblies — get a different program entirely, closer to the corporate stage show and written for a teenage and adult crowd.
Booked by schools across the Kansas City metro
Every principal knows the problem with most assemblies: the kids sit for twenty minutes, the speaker does their best, and by fourth period the lesson is gone. A magic show runs differently. Students lean forward. They volunteer. They watch a classmate get pulled on stage and pull off something they'll still be telling their parents about at dinner. The laugh-per-minute count is higher than a classroom will ever see.
And because the show is entertainment-first, a positive message (growth mindset, kindness, reading, anti-bullying, character) lands in a way a lecture never does. The kids aren't being taught. They're being entertained, and a lesson is inside the entertainment.
Scott Henderson has performed for Kansas City audiences for twenty-five years, from corporate stages at the Federal Reserve Bank and Hallmark to schools across the metro. The school version of the show is built for a K–8 audience: clean, fast, participatory, and calibrated to the grade level in the room. Separate set lists for K–2 and 3–8 mean the right jokes land with the right students.
Principals and PTO organizers book it as a reading-program reward, a kickoff for character or kindness week, an end-of-year celebration, or a post-testing release. The school chooses the message; the show carries it. Pack leaders looking for a scout-specific version can see the Cub Scout magic show page; families wanting the at-home version can see the birthday party page.
Accelerated Reader goals, summer reading totals, Book-It challenges: the show is the carrot. Students earn it together, and the day they cash it in, the message from the stage is that reading is how you unlock things. Works for any incentive program built around a collective goal.
Schools book the show to open a theme week: character, kindness, anti-bullying, growth mindset, Red Ribbon Week. The assembly sets the tone, gives students a shared reference point for the week, and puts the message in front of them in a format that actually sticks.
End of the year. After state testing. First week back. Red Kettle or fundraiser finish lines. The room needs a release, a reset, or a reward, and a full-production magic show does that better than a movie day or an extra recess. Scales from one hundred students to eight hundred-plus in the gym.
The K–8 program isn't the right fit for a senior class. Sixteen-to-eighteen-year-olds have seen the kid version, and they'll check out fast if you give it to them again. The high school program runs from a different setlist — closer to the corporate stage show Scott performs for Hallmark, the Federal Reserve Bank, and the Chiefs than to an elementary assembly. Same calibration, same level of amazement, written for a teenage and adult audience.
Post-Prom. A live magic set is a long-tested choice for the late-night Post-Prom block. It keeps a roomful of seniors in their seats — and in the building — for thirty to sixty minutes that would otherwise be the hardest stretch of the night to program. Strong material, real audience reactions, and the kind of close-up moments that hold a tired room at one in the morning as well as they hold a corporate ballroom at nine.
Project Graduation. Same calibration as Post-Prom, usually a longer slot, often paired with other entertainment across the night. The set is fitted to the time you have available and to where in the schedule it lands.
Upper-grade assemblies. End-of-quarter, end-of-semester, and end-of-year positive assemblies for high schools — the room earns a release after testing, finals, or a long stretch with no break. The show carries a positive message if the school wants one (kindness, resilience, finishing strong); for a pure entertainment block, the message comes off and the routines stay.
Every show carries a positive message written into the routines (growth mindset, kindness, anti-bullying, reading, or character), chosen by the school and set in advance. The message isn't tacked onto the end. It's inside the show.
Every show also includes student volunteers on stage, multiple times. Not one token kid at the end. Several moments where students are the star of the trick. Those are the moments they remember, and the ones they tell their parents about at dinner.
What the school needs to provide. A gym floor, cafeteria, or stage area cleared for the show, and a power outlet within fifty feet. That's the whole list. Scott travels with a professional wireless microphone and PA system powerful enough for a full gymnasium, so school audio equipment isn't required. His PA is available for the school's use during the event if you need it for announcements, the principal's opening remarks, or music. He arrives early, sets up quietly, and is gone before the next bell.
Grade level. K through 8. Separate set lists for K–2 and 3–8 so the right jokes land with the right students. For a single assembly with a wide grade range, the program is calibrated to the middle of the room.
Audience range. One hundred students in a cafeteria, eight hundred-plus in a gym. On double-session days (two back-to-back assemblies to fit all grades), the second show starts roughly forty-five minutes after the first ends.
Every assembly is custom-quoted. Scott works with PTOs, Post-Prom committees, student councils, athletic boosters, activity funds, and school district purchase orders — whichever funding line is easiest for your building. Single-assembly rates and two-assembly-day rates are priced separately; the second show on the same day is always less than the first.
Personal reply within twenty-four hours of inquiry. Proposal with an invoice format that works for your district follows. Holds are released in the order received.
Scoped individually. Final figures depend on audience size, travel, and whether the day includes one assembly or two.
Scott also performs for children's birthday parties and corporate stage events. Different audiences, same standard.
K through 12, but as two distinct programs. The elementary and middle assembly (K–8) keeps separate set lists for K–2 and 3–8 so the right jokes land with the right students; for a single all-school assembly with a wide grade range, the program is calibrated to the middle of the room. The high school program is a different show entirely — see the High School Programs section above.
Yes — both. The setlist for these is the corporate version of the show, calibrated for sixteen-to-eighteen-year-olds rather than for elementary students. Post-Prom blocks typically run thirty to sixty minutes, often late in the evening when keeping the room engaged is hardest; Project Graduation usually runs longer and shares the night with other entertainment. Runtime gets fitted to the slot you have.
Thirty to forty-five minutes. Twenty-five-minute versions are available for K–2 audiences where attention span is the limit. Runtime gets fitted to your bell schedule.
Yes. In fact, it's the most common way schools book. Splitting by grade (K–2 first, then 3–8, or by wing) lets every student see the show and keeps each audience in the right room for their attention span. The second assembly starts roughly forty-five minutes after the first ends, which covers reset and transition.
A cleared performance area (gym floor, stage, or cafeteria space) and a power outlet within fifty feet. Scott travels with his own professional wireless mic and PA system powerful enough for a full gymnasium, so school audio isn't required. His PA is also available for the school's use during the assembly for announcements, the principal's opening remarks, or music, if you want it.
Yes, and you should. The most common messages are growth mindset, kindness, anti-bullying, reading, and character. Tell Scott what your school is working on this year, or what theme week the assembly is kicking off. The message is built into the routines. It isn't a lecture at the end of the show.
Nothing is required. No curriculum tie-in materials, no teacher prep packet, no follow-up worksheet. The show stands on its own. Schools that want to reinforce the message afterward are welcome to (Scott is happy to recommend titles that connect to the theme you chose), but the assembly itself doesn't depend on it.
Any of the above. PTO or PTA checks, activity fund checks, school district purchase orders, and district-issued credit cards are all standard. The proposal includes an invoice format that works for your district's accounting. W-9 available on request.
Yes. Scott has performed for Catholic, Christian, and independent religious schools across the Kansas City metro. The show is non-denominational by default; for faith-based schools, the message can be framed to fit your tradition. Mention it when you reach out.
Four to eight weeks is typical. Spring and the first month of school fill fastest. If you want an end-of-year assembly, April and May block out by early March. Red Ribbon Week (late October) books by August. Short-notice inquiries are always worth asking about; cancellations happen.
Yes. Schools throughout the Kansas City metro (Johnson County, Wyandotte, Platte, Jackson, Clay, Cass) are included at standard rates. Regional travel beyond the metro (Columbia, Wichita, St. Joseph, Topeka, Springfield) is quoted with travel itemized separately.
