Jordan H. Goldklang graduates this week with a tricky major: magic. He completed it through Indiana University at Bloomington’s individualized-major program. The university approved Mr. Goldklang’s rare choice when he was a sophomore, after he produced a list of relevant classes in subjects like psychology and theater arts and found two professors willing to be his advisers.
Q. Why the magic major?
A. I’ve always loved magic, as long as I can remember. It sort of became a hobby, just because it was such a great way to ... meet new people and sort of break the ice. I wanted to study it more in depth, but I couldn’t find that option. Then I heard about the individualized-major program, and I started to explore it.
Q. What is your favorite magic trick?
A. Somebody takes a card out of a deck and they sign their name on it and place it back in the deck. Then I put a rubber band around the deck. I have them look at the ceiling and I ask them if their card is on the ceiling. Of course they say no, because that would be, you know, silly. And then I throw the deck at the ceiling and all the cards come down and I catch them except for one card, which is stuck to the ceiling—which happens to be their card and has their name signed on it. I actually did that in Alumni Hall, where the ceiling is about 30 feet high or so. The card is still on the ceiling right now. I pretty much had to use my whole body to get it up there. There’s a picture of me throwing it, and my feet are well off the ground.
Q. Did you practice your magic as homework?
A. Now that I think about it, this whole time we’ve been talking, I’ve been playing with cards in my left hand. I guess that’s practicing, but I haven’t really considered it. Anytime that I’m not actively doing something, my hands are playing with cards.
Q. Have you ever performed any magic tricks on your professors, like sawing anyone on the faculty in half?
A. On faculty? I haven’t sawn anyone on faculty in half. I have performed for a lot of faculty, and I have cut people in half—just not faculty.
Q. Do you ever disclose how you perform your magic tricks?
A. Not to nonmagicians. To magicians, it’s sort of a kinship, and ... you learn from each other. Most people would rather not know the secret, as much as they say they want to. ... Not knowing gives people that feeling of wonder, that anything is possible.
Q. Do you already have a job lined up after graduation?
A. Well, my brother and I want to open a bar, ... and I’m going to hopefully incorporate some of the things that I’m doing. That’s sort of a long-term goal. For short term, I am going to just keep performing, and it’s something that I have a lot of fun doing. It doesn’t ever feel like work. But, at the same time, I’m able to make a living doing it.
Q. Ten years from now, do you think you’ll look back and regret having majored in magic?
A. I don’t think so. People ask how a magic major benefits me. Aside from what I’ve learned here so far, just the ability to say that I did something completely unique has already afforded me so much. Just to have that on my résumé makes people say, “You majored in what?” It’s definitely a conversation starter.
