Making a Joyful Noise

Trent Muse

“I felt that God has given me the gift of music for a reason,” says Trent Muse, freshman music education major. “It’s so I will use this gift of playing piano and other instruments for His glory.”

When most kids start playing piano, their parents often have to push them to practice and commit time to getting better. Some kids don’t like this; they even get angry and start crying when they are learning piano. But this wasn’t the case for Muse.

“Actually, my older brother was taking piano lessons. I saw him practice every day and I wanted to learn too,” says Muse. “But I couldn’t begin lessons because I had to be five years old. As soon I turned five, I started.”

Sometimes when a person practices every day, it can get boring or they just don’t have the drive to do it anymore.

“I was practicing all of the time,” says Muse. “But when I became a freshman in high school, I lost interest and stopped practicing. Then my sophomore year, for some reason I picked it back up again. Now I play all of the time.”

Every year, Southwestern Adventist University offers a music scholarship. Last year, Muse had a chance to win the scholarship, but to do so, he would have to play the best he had ever played.

“I wasn’t sure if I was prepared enough to get the scholarship,” says Muse. “I’d gone on a mission trip to Panama and got back a week before the recital was scheduled, so I wasn’t sure how it was going to go. Just before I went up to play, I asked God to calm my nerves. When I went up, I was actually really calm and I played better than I expected.

“When I found out I was a finalist, I felt relief,” says Muse. “The anticipation was killing me. I had to wait about a month to know if I was a finalist, but when I finally received the news I was really excited.”

Not only did Muse become a finalist, but he received a piano scholarship to attend Southwestern Adventist University.

“It felt really good getting that scholarship,” says Muse, “because I knew that all the hard work and all of those hours of practice I spent playing piano were paying off. It felt great.”

He is especially grateful for the reward: the opportunity to come to Southwestern as a music education major.

“The professors have taught me to listen to myself, which helps me express my music better. Also they pushed me to give my best all the time and their encouragement helps me to want to practice more.”

Muse knows that God has great plans for him in the future.

“When I went on my mission trip, I realized that God wanted me to use music for his glory,” says Muse. “It was a life-changing experience to see all of those kids get happy when we brought toys for them, since all they had was a makeshift soccer ball. But one of the most amazing experience I had was playing piano Saturday in their church, and seeing everyone sing their heart out. That’s when I knew God wanted me to use my gift of music for Him.”

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