Piano teacher learns fate for horrific treatment of young students at posh private school

Daily Mail​

2 days ago

A former piano teacher in Texas has learned he will spend the next decade behind bars for exposing himself to at least five of his underage students.
Trent Muse, 29, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Friday after pleading guilty to five counts of indecency with a child by exposure - a third-degree felony in Texas.
His offenses took place during the 2022–2023 school year while he was giving private piano lessons at Trinity Valley School in Fort Worth, which serves students from preschool through 12th grade, as reported by Kera News.
Annual tuition at the prestigious private school ranges from $17,440 to nearly $30,000 for upper grades, according to the school's website.
'Every time we drive to school, every time we hear a piano, every time we see our daughter lash out or draw inward, we're reminded of this terrible predator and the terrible trauma he inflicted on our babies and on us,' one victim's mother said during testimonies, according to the outlet.
In March, a group of eight families representing nine underage students filed a civil lawsuit against the top-rated school, alleging it covered up reports of sexual abuse by Muse for years, according to the outlet.
Due to the school's 'negligence, fraud and intentional infliction of emotional distress,' the parents claimed, more than a dozen girls had been abused while under his care.
The lawsuit, filed on March 25, alleged that the abuse occurred over an eight-month period - around the time when Muse was fired - and involved 16 girls, all between the ages of 6 and 11.
This abuse included exposing himself, coercing students to touch him and creating sexually exploitative games - all during unsupervised, one-on-one music lessons inside a secluded classroom, according to the suit.
The lawsuit also alleged that when Muse got fired in April of 2023, the school and its administrators had already known about the abuse for nearly two years.
According to the document, a family reported Muse to a lower school administrator - around the same time Muse lost his position.
However, parents said they were not informed about the concerning complaint - instead, they were simply told that Muse had left for personal reasons.
According to the lawsuit, the school emphasized that there was 'no cause for concern' regarding his leave and they 'encouraged families to continue lessons with Muse off campus.'
'The harm to Muse's victims and their families continues to manifest,' the suit read, as reported by Kera News.
'Because of the continued cover-up by the school and the Board to this day, it is very likely that some parents still do not know their children are victims of Trinity Valley and of Muse,' it added.
During testimony, one mother shared how her daughter began being abused by Muse when she was just nine years old.
'She's now known as one of the piano victims,' the mother said through tears, as reported by Kera News.
'She has trouble sleeping, she has trouble to trust adults, especially male teachers,' she added.
Monroe Solomon, Muse's attorney, told KERA News that while the case has been 'very difficult,' Muse has been 'open and honest' about the charges since his arrest in June 2024, according to court records.
'I would hope that folks just don't see Trent as what he's made out to be, either through what is said in court, through reports in the media,' Solomon told the outlet.
'It's hard to see when you hear things, but he is a genuinely good man,' he added. 'He made mistakes which he has admitted to, but he is a good man.'
Natalie Arbaugh, an attorney with Winston & Strawn representing multiple families, told CBS News on Wednesday that the lawsuit is ongoing and in the 'early discovery' phase.
'Today's sentencing hearing only touches the surface in terms of what our clients expect and deserve from the justice system,' Arbaugh told the outlet.
'The enormous harm these victims and their families have suffered is devastating and will last for many years to come, as their impact statements in court today made clear,' she added.
'These young children are so brave, and it's because of them that today happened. We look forward to giving our clients their day in court and hopefully reaching a point where Mr. Muse and Trinity Valley are held fully accountable for their conduct.'
Muse ultimately pleaded guilty and was sentenced to what prosecutors called the maximum sentence.
Following Muse's arrest, the school has initiated a third-party investigation into the matter, according to Kera News.
In a statement to The Fort Worth Report, school officials said: 'After the school received a report of an incident involving Mr. Muse in April 2023, he was promptly terminated from his position and a report was made to Child Protective Services.'