Matthew Cope Speaker | Primary & Enterprise & Creative & Lifestyle & Assemblies and Celebrations Events & Exams & Anti-Bullying

Matthew Cope

Magician, circus artist, teacher, adventure traveller, entrepreneur.

Matt started juggling at the age of 10 and soon developed that interest into a passion for all things related to variety entertainment related, with magic and illusion taking the lead. At 13 he started performing for local kids' birthday parties and began street entertaining in shopping centres a year later. Dreaming of a life on the stage and with thanks to a very talented carpenter (aka. Grandad), full scale magic illusions were constructed in the family garage and he was touring the UK by the age of 16 with his assistant and his chief roadie/technician (Dad).

After seeing Cirque Du Soleil for the first time, the dream shifted a little to wanting to become involved in the technical aspect of designing these amazing performances. This led to a degree in Lighting & Sound Design for theatre which again morphed into a desire to teach and a specialism shift to Physics with QTS from Sheffield Hallam University.

The magic continued through university and alongside teaching for a number of years until it grew into a successful entertainment business. In 2012, Matt gave up teaching full-time to follow his other passion and travel the world for 12 months before coming back as a full time magician. Since then the performance businesses have gone from strength to strength and he has also created the world's first magic subscription model business of its kind.

Matt's talks cover everything from boosting self confidence through developing simple skills to career motivation and the importance of following your passions - but doing it sensibly and sustainably. Every area Matt speaks in is sprinkled with magic to keep students engaged as well as interesting anecdotes from his experiences as a regular performer and adventure traveller. There is always a large amount of audience interaction and participation so everyone remains on the edge of their seats.

His expertise, teaching background and ability to adapt magic skills and techniques make him an ideal choice when getting that important message across.

Testimonials from Teachers

"We had a lovely awards and celebration evening. Matt hit the spot and made our evening event into an upbeat and humorous celebration which students and their families enjoyed. it was, according to those who have been attending such events for many years, "the best one yet"."

– Rachel Cecil, Lady Hawkins' School

"Matthew was fab! The students (and staff!) really enjoyed his session, and it started off their college application sessions in a very positive way :)"

– Jo Powney, PDC Coordinator, The King's School

"Matthew has now been delivering a revision based session to our Year 12 students for the last 4 years during their Personal Development Days. He has managed to combine the theories and understanding of recollecting information through his expertise in the art of magic. All members of staff and students have come out of his sessions enthused and excited as to how they can move forward with their learning. His sessions are entertaining and informative and his rapport with the students is excellent. I would have no reservations in recommending him to deliver a session to your students in a relaxed and enjoyable environment."

– Martyn Redhead, Joint Leader of Sixth Form, Titus Salt School

"Thanks for coming in to share your story with my Entertainment Management students, it was the most engaged I have ever seen them in a guest lecture and you really opened their minds to what it’s like to work in your sector of the entertainment industry, particularly building a reputable business and brand. I could tell the students had a lot to take away from the lecture and the opportunities for them to interact with tricks, etc. were great. We’ll definitely be having you back for future talks and to share more of your expertise."

– Stuart Moss, Senior Lecturer & Teacher

"'Mind-boggling, amazing and magical’ were some of the comments left by year 11 students after Matthew J Magic’s performance. The students loved hearing about Matthew’s interesting life story starting with his early years as a street entertainer and designing his own magic props. His colourful presentation included stories about his time at college and university, his experiences as a teacher and travelling the world, until finally becoming self-employed as a magician. Matthew followed his life story with an array of unbelievable magic tricks and circus acts, which stunned and amazed the students. Matthew gave the students a fascinating glimpse into the secret world of magic and illusion which challenged their perceptions. He then led the students in a ‘hands on’ circus skills act of plate spinning that left them all with a sense of personal achievement. James aged 15 summed up Matthew’s visit … ‘It was mind-blowing magic, thank you'"

– Yvonne McGibbon, Project Leader - ‘Improve your Prospects’, C&K Careers

"From start to finish Matthew was professional and thoroughly entertaining. We would recommend him to anyone. He arrived early to make sure he was well prepared for the event and communicated brilliantly with the Governors and children. Ideal for our school. As one parent said ‘The guest speaker was excellent and perfectly suited to the audience, with a clear message about following your dream and being able to ‘pivot’.’ Says it all really!"

– Kate Caryl, Headmistress, Wakefield Independent

"We absolutely loved having Matt join us today. He was really engaging and the students were talking about his speech long after he had left us. Our parents spoke very highly of him too and everyone enjoyed the magic! The focus on resilience as well was spot on. Thanks for supporting us again with our KS3 Graduation - it means a lot to our school."

– Christine Chappell, Assisant Headteacher, Batley Grammar School