Now it can be told

So now it's official. The first installment of my book will appear on Monday, on a special page right here on ArtsJournal. The subject of the book, of course, is the future of classical music. The title might be something like Looking for a Future: What We're Going to Do About Classical Music. Or maybe just What We're Going to Do About Classical Music. Which do you prefer? Or would some other title be better? True to the adventure that's a big part of this project, I'm happy to revise the title as I go. I'm certainly going to be revising the manuscript.

To say that I'm happy to unfold the book at ArtsJournal would be the understatement of the year. I love my presence here, and I value Doug McLennan -- the man in charge, who founded this site and makes it the invaluable resource that it is -- as one of the best colleagues I've ever had. ArtsJournal seems like the natural place for this emerging book, and I'm grateful to Doug for being so open to giving it a shot.

And now I'd better get back to writing. Earlier I'd posted a very broad outline, which I'll repeat on Monday. The first section is tentatively called "We've Got a Problem," and, no surprise, it introduces that problems that I think classical music faces. They'll then be explored in much more detail in section two. Monday's episode will launch section one, with a look at two people I know who briefly brushed up against the classical music world. and the reasons why they weren't induced to rush back again. But woven into this is something about my own love for classical music, which -- along with my love for other kinds of music, too -- is going to be a major theme as the book moves forward.

One further note, for people who read this blog. (And thanks, all of you!) You'll of course find many things in the book that you've seen me write before. That's unavoidable; I'm writing not just for those of us who've been talking about these issues for years, but for a wider audience as well. With any luck, I'll strike a balance, so that newcomers can be brought along point by point, and even so, people who've been down these paths before will still find something new. And if I don't succeed in that, please let me know! This is very much a work in progress, and I value all of you as collaborators.