Arts Intranet

Arthur Bloom founded MusiCorps in 2007 to integrate arts and healing for veterans at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland. The rehabilitative program matches musicians with injured troops who have an interest in music, utilizing 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 have damaged hands or limbs require specialized instruments provided by MusiCorps.

Arthur Bloom, a contemporary composer and graduate of the Yale School of Music, believes that music is medicine for the mind.  "I've seen guys come in here, and they're going through such a tough time with their injuries that they are very withdrawn," Bloom said. "The music becomes their new way of communicating. It can be just as powerful as the spoken word. ... By injecting music into this space, we can inject life."  The Wounded Warrior Band, the performing component of the program, appeared last year with Yo-Yo Ma at the 26th Annual Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy, held at the Kennedy Center.

Chosen as one of the Top 10 CNN Heroes of 2014, Arthur Bloom will be honored at “CNN Heroes: An All Star Tribute” airing December 7 on the global networks of CNN.