In dealing with life’s curve balls, incarcerated musicians express their love for music and how they use it to cope with the stressors life throws at them.

Music offers remedies to regulate emotions, enabling a listener to disengage from distressing situations and focus on the beauty of the music, according to Psychology Today.

San Quentin resident Ammen Shinti, 71, pianist and vocalist, said that being away from his family and being dehumanized by being herded like cattle has made his incarceration stressful.

“Every time I read scripture (Bible), I would put it into song, like the Psalms of David; it would help me cope with stress,” Shinti said.

He said that he listens to all genres of music, such as gospel and classical jazz artists like Miles Davis.

Davis is a master engineer of Bee-Bop (a rapid form of machine gun jazz) when Davis displays the mastery of his instrument.

Incarcerated musical director, composer, and violinist John Zeretzke, 66, said he failed as a student in most academic subjects, but in the fifth grade, his school offered violin lessons.

“The first sound of the violin changed my life. I went from academic failure to musical success,” Zeretzke said.

He said his mom and dad were painters, and that he grew up in a creative environment that helped him better understand the arts.

The church his family attended was open to different cultures. Zeretzke remembers his mom saying that she did not understand the music, but it sounded beautiful.

The musical opportunities at SQ enabled Zeretzke to help put together the Greater Good Band. It started with four members two to three years ago, and now the band has reached a 12-member assembly.

Zeretzke said that the Greater Good performances are deeply inspiring, the slower music is spiritually soothing, and could practically put a person into a trance.

“We honor the music; we honor the composers and songwriters as well as the musicians, and we honor ourselves,” Zeretzke said.

Born in Eritrea, Northeast African San Quentin resident Henok Rufael, 46, is a violinist and guitarist. He said Eritrean culture is big on the “Koboro Drum,” which produces a deep bass sound that has a common place in the household.

He said he was introduced to music in the 4th grade; at that time, he owned a Magnavox transistor radio, and he would get lost in the sound of the music. He was amazed at how various sounds were brought together to make one particular sound.

Rufael learned to play the violin at Valley State Prison in California by watching others play. He was in a place where he wanted to challenge himself to learn classical music at age 38.

One day prior to going to a Board of Parole Hearing, Rufael received a not-so-positive Comprehensive Risk Assessment, which measures a person’s threat to public safety. As a way to cope with the disappointment, he would go to the Prison’s recreation yard and just start playing the violin.

He says that he went through a repertoire of finger exercises to speed up his finger dexterity. Then he would try to weave it into a song, which helped him relieve the stress by increasing his finger speed.

“If I am sad or in grief, I would play something slow and melancholy [sad], which allows me to transfer my feelings into the instrument,” Rufael said. “It’s about removing that negative energy that’s stuck in the body.”

The love of music began at an early age for SQ resident Wade Morman, 65, a percussionist, guitarist, and vocalist.

The 1st and 2nd grade is where Morman’s interest in music took place; he would beat on pots and pans and empty fruit cans.

In the 1970s, Morman’s grandparents owned “Blue Heaven Nightclub” in Louisiana; he was 10 years old at the time, and when it was time for bed, he would listen to the music until he fell asleep.

Morman prefers 70s R&B music, he said it gives him a sense of identity about where he grew up, music from that era was about peace and love, it lifted him out of stress.

“My favorite song is “Purple Rain” by pop artist Prince,” Morman said. “The song is a combination of emotions that draws me out of stress, speaking to my spirit and attaching to my reality.

The rhythm of slow music while in a sad mood is like a friend who empathizes with your experiences, according to Psychology Today.

SQ resident vocalist and guitarist Gabriel Moctezuma, 33, has performed at various events on the prison’s yard and Chapels. He started singing when he was three years old, and taught himself how to play the guitar at the age of 15; he said his voice was boring without music.

Moctezuma says San Quentin was a “Godsend,” especially after being at Avenal State Prison, where there were only three guitars in the entire prison yard.

His Mom introduced him to a lot of different music; he grew up listening to ’90s Rock, Reggae, and the likes of Frank Sinatra.

“Music has always been a part of me, from listening to it, I have always been able to feel the music inside me,” Moctezuma said.

He said when he was a teenager, he was in a dark time of drugs and alcohol, and living out of his car. The only thing he owned was his guitar, which he played on the streets for money in order to survive.

“Music is more than one feeling, when I can hear the song and feel the intense emotions it brings,” Moctezuma said. “It helps me have that empathy for myself, as men in society where we are not supposed to feel.”

He said the art of music is the medicine that brings people together. He felt connected to the different cultures through music when he traveled to Africa and New Zealand.

“Listening to music together leads to synchronization of brain activity,” according to Psychology Today. “Feeling connected to our social communities causes the release of endorphins, which are associated with feelings of pleasure, gratification, and a sense of trust.