Mrs. Cruz-Iasiello's Classroom Edit display name

Current requests

Past projects 6

• Cleaner Air for Blossoming Musicians

  Funded Jan 20, 2025

  Thank you so much for supplying my classroom with the replacement air filters that we needed in order to clean our air and reduce the effects of breathing dirty air. Many of my students have allergies and asthma, and the air purifiers go a long way to reducing the allergens that cause my students to get sick. Especially as spring is upon us, many of my students suffer from seasonal allergies, and the air purifiers will help us to have a cleaner, healthier environment. In order to perform at our highest caliber, we need to breathe deeply, and knowing that the air that we are breathing is clean will ease some minds, and allow us to play at our best.

  Thank you so very much for your donation. We appreciate it from the bottom of our hearts, and lungs!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Cruz-Iasiello

• Developing Musicianship Through Composition

  Funded Dec 31, 2024

  Thank you so very much for your generous donation that allowed us to obtain a printer and ink. This printer has changed our classroom forever!!!!

  In the past, students always had to wait a day for their music if they needed a new copy. It is soooo much easier to make copies immediately when the students need it. We are also finding it so much easier to print out their work. In addition, it is so much easier to print out the music that we have created, whether it's their own music, or the music helpers I develop to make learning music easier. Finally, their beautiful opera projects have also been printed out in color and displayed on the bulletin boards. Enclosed, you will see the pictures of all of this--it's so exciting!

  We are deeply, deeply grateful for your kindness and generosity. Life is a million times easier and more colorful with this Epson printer. Thank you so much!!!!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Cruz-Iasiello

• Maximizing Our Playing Time Through Labels!

  Funded Oct 4, 2022

  Thank you so much for supporting our music program here at Long Island City High School. Unfortunately, because of supply chain issues, and despite going through two different vendors, we never were able to actually receive the label maker. However, we did receive the label tape. I am hoping to be able to purchase the label maker itself next year, which will make it so much easier for my students to find their binders and equipment, which will allow us to maximize our playing time.

  I am deeply grateful for your support of our classroom, and feel terrible that the main component, the label-maker itself, was not available. However, we are deeply grateful for your support, and look forward to using the beautiful tapes next year.

  Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Cruz-Iasiello

• Learning to Play Piano and Applying Music Theory

  Funded Apr 7, 2022

  Thank you so much for providing our classroom with keyboards and electric plugs. My students come into my classroom with a deep thirst for musical knowledge, as most of them have never had the opportunity to play an instrument before. Many, many students over the years have asked to learn how to play the piano, but we never really had the resources to teach a large number of students at the same time. These keyboards have changed everything.

  Because we now have a class set of keyboards, more students than ever are learning how to play the piano. In addition, the electric plugs allow us to always have access to the keyboards, as opposed to always having to restock batteries, which gets very expensive, and also can be time consuming when it turns out that batteries have to be replaced. All of the keyboards in the room now are plugged in, which saves time and money.

  This year, music appreciation students are learning to play the keyboard in addition to drums and guitars, and they are enjoying it tremendously. I am hoping to have some students play at the spring concert in May. In addition, the music theory and history students are able to directly apply what they are learning to the keyboard, which makes their absorbtion of the knowledge that much deeper.

  We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for helping to make our music classroom so much better. Having so many keyboards to play is making an ever growing number of students into musicians here at Long Island City High School. Thank you!!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Cruz-Iasiello

  This classroom project was brought to life by The DonorsChoose community & an Anonymous Partner and 4 other donors.

• Drumming as a Band Family

  Funded May 5, 2021

  Oh my goodness have my students enjoyed playing on real drums! When we were allowed to return to school in a hybrid situation, they REALLY enjoyed taking everything they had learned at home using their drumpads and drumsticks and applying it to real instruments. The drums are absolutely gorgeous, and the students were completely thrilled to be working on such beautiful equipment. Every student had their own drum, which was essential during these times when we needed everyone spaced apart and unable to share. They realized that playing on real drums is much louder than playing on drumpads, and as a result were able to understand musical dynamics much better. We created class virtual performances, recording the different sections of a class and splicing it all together to give the students a sense of what a performance is like. They really enjoyed putting all of the information they learned over the course of the year together and creating great music!

  This year, we are using the drums in the classroom again, and the students who chose to play drums are thrilled with the sheer beauty of the the drums. I am planning to start a drumline, and with this equipment, we will already be a step ahead!

  We are all deeply grateful for your kind generosity and support for the students of Long Island City High School. It is thrilling to see how far students want to go with the right equipment. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!!!”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Cruz-Iasiello

  This classroom project was brought to life by SONIC Drive-In and 15 other donors.

• Drumming to Your Own Beat

  Funded Feb 1, 2021

  My students have been so very grateful for the drumsticks and drumpads. All of my remote students were able to come in, pick up a packet that included a pair of sticks and a drumpad, as well as drum sheet music, and learn how to play the snare drum at home while in remote schooling. They were so very excited to come pick up the equipment, and finally be in a true band class! They were willing to turn their cameras on, take pictures of themselves using the equipment, and actually made recordings so that we could do class projects with everyone "playing together" even as each person was at home by themselves.

  They learned all of the essentials of rhythm, and as they continue in my band class this year, I have seen how much they learned and retained by having the opportunity to play the snare. It will certainly carry through as they learn how to play wind instruments moving forward. For those that decided to continue their drum journey, they are already advancing well ahead of those students that did not have the opportunity to use this equipment last year. Finally, we are continuing to use the equipment this year for all of the students who would like to begin to play drums, so that they can practice at home, in addition to school.

  We are so very grateful and thankful for your extreme generosity. We truly appreciate it.”

  With gratitude,

  Mrs. Cruz-Iasiello