Bio:
Amy Trail- Instructional Designer
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Hi, I’m Amy Trail. I am an Instructional Designer, specializing in efficient, effective education for employees. I started my journey in Instructional Design when I became an Adjunct Professor for Loyola University in New Orleans. It was here that first learned about curriculum development when I created my course, "Practical Songwriting". I found myself so inspired by the work of creating a learning experience that I realized that I wanted explore Instructional Design on a more intentional level.
My first Instructional Design position was through St. Luke's Hospital in Boise, Idaho. It was here that I worked on a multitude of projects, such as eLearning development, video editing, voice-over work and project management. Much of the learning I designed here was based around compliance training. Making sure that health care professionals are up-to-date with best practices regarding health care is of the utmost importance. However, many folks dread having to take a standard eLearning compliance course.
My priorities revolved around making the courses efficient, visually interesting and built with adult learners in mind. When constructing curriculum for adult learners, It's importatnt to give as much choice in the process as possible. When appropriate, I constructed ways for the learner to prove their knowledge through robust knowledge checks, in-lieu of having to sit through a "click next" slide-deck style course.
From there, I moved to my current position at Funnel Leasing and started to learn about the world of software development. Funnel Leasing is a web app that covers the renter experience from all angles. The renter perspective and the property management perspective. At this position, I've been able to learn a wide variety of new skills and the ins and outs of the software development process.
One of the first major initiatives that I led was cataloguing our entire knowledge base. I created a manifest of the documentation for our product. I then edited and standardized the language and formatted of all the documentation. Our team then transferred the entire contents of the knowledge base from Zendesk to Salesforce. During this time, I was the lead designer of the new support site, the Pink Portal.
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In this position, I've also fine tuned my video editing skills by creating the first instructional video series for our product, "Getting Started with Funnel." This is an eight-part video series that covered all of the fundamental aspects and workflows for our product. I wrote the scripts, did the voice-overs and edited the videos.
Recently, we've been moving to a completely self-paced mode of instruction. I have been building eLearning modules that guide a new user on our platform. From logging in for the first time, to more advanced workflows, my course will direct the learner through the process of learning the software platform. To accomplish this, I've built in-depth software simulations that create a safe, consequence-free environment for a new user.
My goals for the near future are to broaden and deepen my skill sets and learn more about the incorporation of AI in Instructional Design.
Amy Trail- Musician
Amy Trail is a singer, songwriter, and pianist originally hailing from Idaho. Amy left Idaho to study jazz in New Orleans. At the University of New Orleans, Amy was awarded the Basin Street Jazz scholarship. She was the first woman recipient of this full-ride scholarship.
After graduating with a degree in Jazz Studies, Amy gained a position at Pat O'Brien's piano bar. She played in the piano bar for many years, while also maintaining several side projects. Noted side projects included her own solo work and as a founding member of vocal group, The Asylum Chorus.
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Songwriter// Amy Trail’s music, a roots influenced soul pop, creates a sound that’s familiar yet fresh. Amy’s songwriting is heavily grounded in 1970s and 80s influences such as Steely Dan, Bill Withers, Rickie Lee Jones and Prince. Her songwriting harkens back to the great analog era of early FM radio while at the same time carving out a niche that is uniquely her own.
Amy has recorded five albums of original material and has collaborated with many New Orleans artists/bands. Most recently as a founding member of the vocal group The Asylum Chorus and Bedouin Soundclash.
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In addition to her personal projects, Amy’s compositions have been featured on Margie Perez’ “Offbeat” album of the year nominated “Love is All” release and spots on the internationally syndicated television program, “NCIS: New Orleans”.
Session Vocalist// Amy is a seasoned session vocalist, working with a variety of artists including Tom Waits, Clint Maedgen (Preservation Hall Jazz Band) and Rich Collins (Imagination Movers). Amy sings in the Mezzo, Soprano I and Soprano II ranges.
Vocal Arranger/Vocal Producer// Amy has worked extensively in creating vocal arrangements for small ensembles. Most notably for the New Orleans vocal ensemble, The Asylum Chorus. Amy also has experience as a vocal producer and studio vocal coach.
Piano Bar Entertainer// From 2004-2020 Amy was a dueling piano bar entertainer at Pat O’Brien’s piano bar in the French Quarter of New Orleans. The nature of an all-request dueling piano show is half entertainment and half musical mastery. Over the years, Amy amassed a thousand-song repertoire that represents many genres. Amy still performs in this format once a month at the Brickyard in Boise, Idaho.