WASHINGTON – As a new academic year begins in schools across the country, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) today announced two new partnerships to bolster student respect for music and other forms of intellectual property as well as responsible use of the Internet.

In response to educator requests for resources to use in their classrooms, RIAA has worked with the prominent curriculum development company LearningWorks and the Close Up Foundation, a trusted nonpartisan citizenship education organization with a strong reputation in the field, to develop classroom materials for distribution to elementary, middle and high school teachers and students as well as parents this fall.

Developed by LearningWorks, Music Rules! is a free educational program that informs students in grades 3 through 8 about the laws of copyright and the risks of online file-sharing, while promoting musical and artistic creativity. Beginning this fall, program materials - including a teacher's guide, supplemental lesson plans, a classroom wall poster and take-home booklets for parents - will be distributed to tens of thousands of teachers in states across the country. In addition, teachers and parents can download program materials and brochures that provide background on intellectual property issues and tips for keeping the family safe online through the Music Rules! website at www.music-rules.com.

"Teachers recognize that today's students need to understand the concept of intellectual property and the rules that protect intellectual property rights from the time they first venture online," said Dr. Dominic Kinsley, editor in chief of LearningWorks. "With its immediate appeal, music offers an ideal context for presenting these lessons in a way that is both meaningful and memorable, while at the same time stimulating the students' own creative talents and strengthening their technological skills."

"My students were very receptive to Music Rules!," said Debra Tesoniero, a sixth grade teacher in Great Barrington, Mass. who tested the program last spring. "They had excellent questions and were very interested in just how many people work 'behind the scenes' in the record industry. Most were truly unaware of the illegal nature of 'songlifting' and shocked at the scope of this problem. The program helped them understand copyright laws and reinforced the importance of respecting the intellectual property of others."

The Close Up Foundation has also developed a supplemental classroom text - Whose Music Is It? - that addresses the growth of online activity, copyright laws, fair use, the impact of piracy and legal alternatives, among other topics. The booklet will be distributed to thousands of teachers, reaching hundreds of thousands of students throughout the school year in conjunction with the student publication Current Issues, the most widely used supplemental text in high school civics classes. In the coming months, Close Up will also work with teachers on its Washington program to develop a teacher's kit that will include lesson plans, resource materials and a video for students.

"The intersection of music and technology has created an explosion of activity and controversy regarding the way people acquire and enjoy music. For this reason Close Up is pleased to provide Whose Music Is It? a supplement to the 2006-2007 edition of Current Issues and to partner with teachers on developing classroom resources. This important work is in keeping with our thirty-year tradition of providing readers with insight on critical issues facing the nation," said Tim Davis, President and CEO, Close Up Foundation.

Today's announcement builds on a partnership announced in June by the RIAA and i-SAFE Inc., the leader in Internet safety education, to develop a nationwide assembly experience on intellectual property for students in middle school and high school. (Click here for more information)

"We are incredibly fortunate to have the expertise and experience of these fine organizations zeroed in on helping students grow their understanding of the music community and the laws that encourage creativity," said Mitch Bainwol, Chairman and CEO of the RIAA. "The exceptional materials they have created will jump start conversations in classrooms and homes across the country. That means more young people thinking critically about intellectual property industries, the laws that protect them and their contributions to the global economy. When we all do our part to encourage smart choices, that's good news for everyone who cares about music."