TikTok video of Sonoma County jail inmate getting emotional over hearing his musical composition goes viral. Here’s what the internet had to say

The video has garnered more than 1.4 million views on The Press Democrat’s TikTok account since it was posted April 2.|

In March, inmates at the Sonoma County jail listened as a live Zoom broadcast from New York City brought the sounds of classical music into the detention facility. But, it wasn't just any music, these were compositions written by the inmates themselves, and a video taken by jail staff and shared with The Press Democrat of one inmate hearing his music being played has resonated with the internet.

The video, part of a story by staff writer Madison Smalstig and posted on The Press Democrat’s TikTok account April 2, has garnered 1.4 million views and over 1,500 comments on the site, and has been picked up by other websites who call the video “a beautiful sight.”

@pressdemo The hums and harmonies from the string quartet flowed up and down, and the picks and plucks sharply exited the speakers into a classroom at the Sonoma County Main Adult Detention Facility. Eight incarcerated men and a small crowd listened March 25 as a quartet — Juilliard School students on two violins, a cello and a viola — performed eight pieces, each composed by one of the inmates. Fluttery movements and fluid melodies dissipated wanting, dissonant chords and bled into sharp and distinct dynamics. The composers had written some comments, including “cartoony” and “life is risky but never boring,” in their sheet music that dictated the vibe and emotions to be expressed in the music. The performance in New York City was broadcast live to the Santa Rosa jail via Zoom. Read more at the link in our bio. #MusicfortheFuture #sonomacountyjail #projectmusichealsus #edithstringquartet #classicalmusic ♬ original sound - The Press Democrat

“It makes you realize that if we gave people more chances, more help, more respect, etc maybe different choices would be made and we’d have more beautiful things in this world,” wrote TikTok user JayNe in a comment on The Press Democrat’s TikTok video, which shows the unnamed inmate listening for two minutes to his composition.

In the video, the composer can be seen smiling, playing along with his fingers, and clapping with the crowd. Throughout the video, he has a look of pride on his face.

The March 25 performance by musicians from Julliard School marked the end of a nine-week program called Music for the Future. The program teaches incarcerated individuals about live music, composition and the life of Ludwig van Beethoven. The goal of the program is to help the inmates gain skills so they don’t return to jail once released, Smalstig wrote.

The program “proved to be one of the most rewarding experiences of their lives,” wrote Meghan Cook for “real good news” website goodgoodgood.co on April 3.

“Unsurprisingly, some inmates got a little teary while listening to their music for the first time. TBH, I got a little teary-eyed writing this one,” wrote Marty Townsend April 13 in an article about the video on inspiremore.com, which shares “good news and positive media happening around the world.”

Read more at pdne.ws/3UdKSAd.

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