Musicians in New York State will take the first of three free online courses this week designed to help them bootstrap a music career.

The courses are the third in a series from the Alliance of New York State Arts Organizations' "Bootstrap Music Series" that kicked off May 15. The first class in the last series "Bootstrap Your Music Business" begins Thursday.

I wish I had happened upon this announcement earlier because registration for the series closes on Tuesday.

Since the course will be on a "first come first served basis", you may want to contact the alliance first to be sure space is still available before filling out the registration form.

Topics for the three course series will be taught in three webinar workshops with additional instruction provided through an interactive teaching blog. You must have high speed Internet access to participate.

The courses will include:

• How to form your own non-profit organization from a musician's perspective (Webinar 10 a.m. Thursday September 27 with postings on the teaching blog through October 5.)

• How to self-manage your career including national and international touring (Webinar 10 a.m. Monday October 8 with postings on the teaching blog through October 24.)

• How to create an unconventional career or "the art of freelancing" (Webinar 10 a.m. Thursday Oct. 25 with postings on the teaching blog through November 2.)

The seminar will be taught by composer Paola Prestini, director and founder of VisionIntoArt. Check out her website here and at MySpace.

Classes are paid for through The New York State Music Fund. Other free resources are available from previous classes in the blog overview for the series.