Wounded Warrior Band at Walter Reed

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Arthur Bloom, founder of MusiCorps, and has been chosen as one of the Top 10 CNN Heroes of 2014. He will be honored at “CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute” airing December 7 on the global networks of CNN.

Bloom is a contemporary composer whose work has been played by such ensembles as the Israel Chamber Orchestra and the Tulsa Philharmonic. He started MusiCorps in 2007 to integrate arts and healing for wounded veterans at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland.

Also a graduate of the Yale School of Music, Arthur Bloom offers his services to patients at Walter Reed who have an interest in playing an instrument. The rehabilitative program integrates musicians as mentors, traditional instruments along with computer workstations and custom equipment, and projects tailored to individual circumstances, interests, and goals. They practice technique, play, write, and record music. Bloom calls it "adaptive music making" because the vets who are missing or damaged hands or limbs require specialized instruments provided by MusiCorps.

Arthur Bloom and The Wounded Warrior Band, the performance component of MusiCorps, appeared at the 26th Annual Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy. Held at the Kennedy Center, the Americans For The Arts sponsored event is a leading national forum in support of the importance of the arts and culture to our national well being.  Yo-Yo Ma, featured speaker at the 2013 Nancy Hanks Lecture, performed “Wide River To Cross” by Levon Helm with Bloom and the Wounded Warrior Band.

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