A strange question this one. Does anyone else have problems with nauseating odours eminating from their pupils throughout lessons? I'm starting to find this is becoming more and more common, particularly among the younger ones. This is of course often accompanied (excuse the pun!) by loud and often prolonged noises. I never know whether to pretend nothings happened or to try and light heartedly make a small joke!
I often go home from lessons absolutely crippled with stomach pain as I have been sitting for hours and have more manners than my pupils apparently!

How old are your pupils? Having taught in Primary schools I would say this is a common problem with children up to about the age of 7. Unfortunately they still think it's funny (especially boys).

I was talking about this with my sister the other day, who reminded me that my mother used to address the problem with us by saying "I think someone needs to go to the toilet" in a pointed sort of way. Maybe you could try suggesting a toilet trip for your persistent offenders?

It is funny! Flatulence is about the most funny thing a human being can do with their body. The 1000+ Facebook members that discuss this on the 1 group that I frequent (and there're more groups) can't be wrong.




Now, being fairly new to music, I opnely don't wholly know what I'm talking about, but I may hazard a guess. If they're being taught to support the note with the diaphragm and if they're maybe struggling with higher notes, then they'll be increasing intra-abdominal pressure. This, I would imagine, could cause pressure on the rectum, resulting in great bodily humour!



So how do you deal with it:
1) Air fresheners
2) being careful with what you teach (if what I've put above is right)
3) My preference: laugh about it!

This is a problem I suffer with from time to time also. I went to quite a straight laced teacher for five years and often was in agony trying to hold on to my wind. It wasn't till after I stopped going to her that I found out she had no sense of smell atall! If only I'd known!

It was also extreemly embarrasing when I had some Alexander Technique lessons, as you have to "release" every part of your body!!

As a teacher, I am now able to say something like " I just need to check on the dinner" and pop out of the room for two minutes. If anything does escape in the teaching room, it's always possible to go and sit a bit further away so you can "make it more like a performance". Or wear reaaly strong perfume?

That's what I did when a class teacher....with pupils now I just say..."Do you need to go to the toilet". I do if they are leaping around aswell.

It's a bit of a perennial problem with the boys here- and they have big grins on their faces while doing so. Depending on whose taking the practice there can be howls of laughter or not!

I've only had one young pupil who did that, but silently... At first I thought it was the dog but then I realised the mysterious smell only happened at a certain child's lesson

Have apologised to the dog

Oh dear..
Its around this time that I thank my parents for getting me into brass instruments..

Because of the need for adult teeth, children SHOULD be past this stage by the time they take lessons..

Although I notice what someone said about high notes, I guess that could be a potential problem!!

I can't take any more of this! My sides are aching with the laughter!

Wasn't sure what to expect when I read the title of the thread!


Two minutes? That long?



Silent but deadly


Same here!

I agree!!!

My windy pups range from age 6-10.

They all do it.. silently. They do find it funny, so its talkable and I would tell them to go to the bathroom if they needed to um.. release some air.

The FUNNY thing is, a little girl, aged 10 - become polite and asked:
GIRL: *smiles* "Can I go to the bathroom?"

ME: "Yes, sure."

GIRL: *Grins* "I need to release air from my butt butt"

ME: *Starts laughing hysterically" "Alright dear, thanks for telling me."


Such a cute little girl, she was one of the regular silent windy pups, but she got the message now - you need to release anything, do so in the bathroom.
Hope they all learn to do that one day - so far she's the only one hahaha

[quote name='susiejean' date='Nov 12 2007, 10:25 AM' post='626399']
A strange question this one. Does anyone else have problems with nauseating odours eminating from their pupils throughout lessons?

Yes, I have had 2 or 3 young boys (under age 8) having problems of 'farting', to be direct. Its not funny, though they seem to think so. But, since this has not been a regular feature of each music lesson, I have not found the need to make much of it. If it becomes a pressing probem, then I would bring it to the notice of the parent, politely. I am in no position to recommend or offer solutions to the physiological problem.

[quote name='captaintau' date='Nov 12 2007, 12:32 PM' post='626436']
If they're being taught to support the note with the diaphragm and if they're maybe struggling with higher notes, then they'll be increasing intra-abdominal pressure. This, I would imagine, could cause pressure on the rectum, resulting in great bodily humour!

I think susiejean is a piano teacher!

I too have a few younger pupils who suffer from this problem - poor dog gets blamed for a lot of smells she doesn't make! I did have one elderly flute pupil who had difficulty in controlling the problem as she was using muscles that hadn't been used before. I ignored the 'problem' but she was obviously very embarrassed by it (it wasn't always 'silent'!) and gave up after about eight lessons.

If it becomes a pressing probem,
[/quote]


Sorry, duffed up the quote there. Came from Ivanmus29's post!

What about a star chart on the wall for the best performance?

Not good this morning- at least 3 stinkers in a 40-minute rehearsal!

I know a wonderful limerick on this topic, involving a Mozart Quartet, but to post it here might get me a warning !

But it is funny. Its incredibly funny. Its funniest either in a lift or in bed, holding your partner's head under the blanket.

Whatever!

How romantic

Whilst we might joke about this, I would actually find this kind of behaviour unacceptable unless the child is very young. Its about learning manners and when its appropriate and innappropriate to do such things. They wouldn't do it if they went out to a restaurant.

David

My own children are quite windy. Sometimes after they have been to the toilet I accuse them of not flushing it (which does also happen quite frequently) and they give me a sweet smile and say "just farts!" The innocence of the young, hey. (Or not...)

I'd be pretty unimpressed if they were doing it deliberately. I've only noticed it in one pupil so far so mine must be very restrained

But I don't think they can always help it. Depending on what I've had the night before, neither can I...

It can be difficult to keep a good one in!

"Beans, beans are good for the heart,
The more you eat, the more you fart,
The more you fart, the better you feel,
So beans, beans for every meal!"

*furious spraying of air freshener*

I make sure I don't eat beans before my piano lesson. Can you imagine asking to go to the toilet every five minutes. That would be so embarrassing.

Oh, man. No. Laugh!



Its a natural bodily function. Its nothing to do with manners except the ones that "they" create, that I've never subscribed to.




Maybe they would.




A wise man once told me that a fart is the greatest gift a man can give his woman; it warms the bed and kills the flees!



As an aside, I let a non-too-subtle one in band rehearsal recently. When I got some stern looks, I just asked "What? We're a wind band arn't we?"

There was a young lady called Cager,
Who, as a result of a wager,
Contrived to fart the entire cello part,
Of a Mozart Quartet in F Major

I'm with captaintau on this one - we might encourage (and be encouraged in) the avoidance of such, ahem, outbursts, but there are times when it can't be helped, perhaps due to a medical condition.

Fortunately, none of mine seem to have this problem, but in most cases, surely discretion is the better part of valour - a polite "would you like to use the bathroom?" then ignore the matter (but make sure there are fresh flowers in the teaching area next week ).

And, as Dulciana as hinted, it's not just pupils who have this problem

Good one!

On the subject of manners - I'm not sure that it's so much a manners issue as an embarrassment isue. It's just plain embarrassing to do it in front of people - firstly because it implies a lack of control over your sphincter muscles, and secondly because it's embarrassing to smell like that! Maybe the reason kids are less perturbed about it all is that they haven't yet 'learnt' to be embarrassed!

We might encourage/ be encouraged in. Or we might not.

Let 'em out I say. And if it raises a laugh, so much the better.

Maybe they have IBS or something like that.
I had IBS throughout the whole of my time having piano lessons I was not happy LOL and was always too scared and embarassed to ask to go to the bathroom and the teachers family was always in. Although I did have control over myself or I would have ended up totally mortified LOL

I'm very sympathetic on this one and often wonder how on earth my pupils put up with me (IBS) If they are really bad I ask them if they need the toilet, but as I have a wind problem I normally say nothing. The child may have a genuine problem and the last thing I want is to reduce them to tears over something like that!

I can always open a window to clear the air afterwards.

Comments can be very cutting and upsetting so I'd rather keep my mouth shut, and desensitise my nose.

Today.. lil 8 year old pup.. did the loudest one.. then grinned at me

I ran straight out of the room!~!!!~!~!~!!!~!

I think he just eats too much!! well, he's not embarassed about it or anything. So i stood outside and mumbled what i prob had said 100 times about manners. Don't think he heard any bit of it though

I think on that situation I might have asked what they had just eaten or drrunk and suggest that coco-cola just before a lesson was not a good idea. I might have said do you mind? or Sorry would have been nice? Or do you have a medical problem that causes this? Beacase of the reaction, but if he'd looked mortified and apologised I would have behaved very differently and just put up with it.

Actually, I think that would really irritate me

I'm with you there. For a persistent offender I think I would look over the top of my glasses (fortunately I wear them - very useful) and deliver a serious response, or else suggest that if they are trying to distract me from the serious work, it must be time for some scales/sight-reading/aural tests (especially singing!!).

It's usually fairly obvious whether it's a deliberate ploy or not.

I'm have probably congratulated them.

When you have a flatulence problem yourself it is hard to criticise your pupils. However when they grin, that is another matter. I can give a stern look over the glasses too. Its an amazing weapon.

I always though flatulence was 'upward wind' , and that 'downward wind' was fartulence

I have a very prim and proper friend who always refers to "upward wind" as a "touch of acidity"

Would that make "downward wind" a touch of alkalinity?

As a chemist, whereas its possible for flatulence to be acidic gas (eg containing carbon dioxide), fartulence is usually just air mixed with a some hydrocarbons, and would be neutral. Anyone want to try with litmus paper ?

GAH. So now singing is a punishment for excess wind??

*has heard it all now*