Eight children shined during a mini-recital in Newtown resident Cristina Trnik's "Singing Summer Camp" on Friday, August 14.

Held at the Teen Center on Church Hill Road, the camp served as a way for children ages 8-12 to learn warm-ups, basic vocal techniques, age-appropriate theater songs, basic music reading, and much more.

The campers gathered at the Teen Center every day from August 10-14, spending their late mornings practicing their posture and singing songs together.

The mini-recital served as the culmination of the campers' hard work. Even as family and friends started to line the rows of chairs, the children continued to practice one of the songs they learned, "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music.

Trnik welcomed the crowd and had the campers share their favorite thing they learned that week. While some students said they loved the songs, many said they "couldn't pick" or "loved everything."

The children then demonstrated a ball game they used to learn solfège, a mnemonic used to teach do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do. Trnik said the campers also learned their rhythms — quarter note, half note, eighth note, and sixteenth note — while playing with the ball.

"I just feel like it's a good method for kids to move their body while they're learning the music," Trnik explained to the audience.

Afterwards, everyone performed "My Favorite Things," followed by another song from The Sound of Music, "Do-Re-Mi."

Family and friends excitedly clapped as their loved ones took a bow.

Seeing kids' faces light up as they sing is one of Trnik's favorite things about what she does. This is far from the first singing class Trnik has taught, as she has worked as a professional singer and voice teacher for well over a decade.

It all started when, after college, Trnik was working at a theater camp and one of the campers asked her to give them lessons.

"And that's where the whole thing began," Trnik said with a smile. "I love singing, I love music, I love children, so it combines many things that I love."

Being able to see students’ growth, she said, is another special part of what she does.

"You see a shy student volunteer and say that they want a solo at the recital ... that's rewarding," Trnik said.

Singing is not only fun, but it is good for people's brains, according to Trnik. She said children who study music do better in math, and that it also builds teamwork, self-confidence, and helps clear the sinuses.

Over the years of sharing her passion with others, Trnik said she has learned to adapt her teaching methods to each child's level. She likes to teach fun methods that will click with children, whether it is playing their rhythms on drums or drawing notes on a whiteboard.

"I try to make it creative for them," Trnik said. "I want them all to look back and say they had fun."

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Reporter Jenna Visca can be reached at jenna@thebee.com.