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What is MaestroMD and why is it being used for
musical wind instruments? |
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MaestroMD is a revolutionary new service from Encore Etc., Inc. that for the first
time in the music industry offers sterilization of brass and wood wind instruments.
Until now, music dealers and schools have used a variety of methods to clean, sanitize,
and disinfect mouthpieces and instruments, but these methods have only reduced the
bacteria on instruments, not eliminate it.
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How did the idea for MasestroMD come about?
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Encore Etc., Inc. was established in 2001 by Dr. Lorenzo Lepore, a practicing Massachusetts
dentist and accomplished musician. In the mid-1990s, Dr. Lepore learned that wind
instruments loaned through school music programs were not routinely sterilized.
Understanding the potential health risks to student musicians, he committed the
next eight years to researching a solution.
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How long has bacteria in wind instruments been
a problem? As Dealers, why have we never heard of this before?
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For years, the importance of not sharing personal items that we put in our mouths
- from soda cans to toothbrushes – has been drilled into our consciousness. Physicians,
dentists and government organizations like the Center for Disease Control (CDC)
have cited the risks inherent in sharing these items.
We know is that infectious microbes can live inside wind instruments, and when our
mouths come into contact with such an environment our risk of infection is increased.
The question is, why would we risk getting sick from playing a wind instrument when
there’s a practical and affordable solution?
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Offering MaestroMD represents a Profit Center,
not a Cost Center
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Our volume pricing has been tailored to make offering MaestroMD a profit center
for you, not a cost center. As a school music dealer, you can realize discounts
of up to 40% by sterilizing as few as 500 instruments a season, depending on your
sterilization schedule, instrument mix, and payment terms. This means that you can
earn a $20-$24 profit per instrument while offering an improved standard
of care!
Sterilizing more than 2500 instruments a season? Email us to discuss a customized
solution. info@MaestroMD.com.
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Offering MaestroMD Differentiates Your Business
from The Competition |
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By offering MaestroMD you tell your customers you care about an issue that’s important
to them as parents and educators, and give them another great reason for doing business
with you. You guarantee them the instrument that’s 00% bacteria free, and given
a standard of care beyond any sanitizer, flush, sonic cleaner, deodorizer or disinfectant
available on the market.
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Become a MaestroMD Authorized Dealer and We’ll
Send Customers to You
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As more and more musicians, school marching bands and orchestras, parents, local
officials, PTA’s, Boosters, and community leaders learn about Maestro MD, they’ll
be looking for dealers in their area that offer sterilization. When you become a
MaestroMD Authorized Dealer, we’ll refer these prospects to you. Learn more by emailing us at info@MaestroMD.com.
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We’ll Give you The Marketing Support you Need to
Succeed
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We’ll give you the tools you need to successfully market and sell MaestroMD to schools,
Parents and musicans in your area. The materials in our Reseller Support Center are free and easy
to download and print. They include:
- Information you can use for school music distribution nights and events that introduce
students and parents to school music programs
- Press releases for local newspapers and radio stations announcing the availability
of sterilized instruments through your dealership
- Point of sale materials and posters for your store
- And soon, an informational video that can be broadcast through school TV stations
or local cable outlets that discuss the process of sterilized instruments.
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MaestroMD is a System that makes Business Sense |
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Sterilization is a new standard of care for wind instruments, and between sterilizations,
we recommend that musicians keep their instruments cleaned, deodorized and disinfected
by using our Instrument Health Maintenance Kits, or HMK’s. Kits are available for
Clarinets, Flutes, Trumpets, Saxophones and Trombones, and include clothes, brushes,
flexible neck cleaners, swabs and spray bottles of MaestroClean™. Quantity
discounts are available for dealers, along with Point-of-Sale displays.
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How does MaestroMD actually work? |
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It’s quite simple, and everything can be done right here from MaestroMD.com.
We send you all the materials required to tag, pack and ship your instruments.
You let us know when your shipment is ready to pick up, and we take it from there.
Your instruments are shipped to the closest available sterilization facility, sterilized
in their cases and shipped back to you in approximately 10 - 15 business days.
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How much does sterilization cost?
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Encore Etc., Inc. charges for sterilization on a per instrument basis, with prices
varying based on the type of instrument being sterilized.
The RETAIL PRICE
to sterilize the most common musical wind instruments will range from $49.99 to
$89.99 depending upon the size of the instrument. This cost includes all standard
ground shipping.
Any extra charges you incur will be for additional freight if you have your sterilization
expedited by having it shipped via next day air.
For instruments not on the list of common musical wind instruments, we will give
you a quote specific to your instrument and your location.
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How do I get the best price? |
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Our volume pricing has been tailored to make offering MaestroMD a profit center
for you, not a cost center. As a school music dealer, you can realize discounts
of up to 40% by sterilizing as few as 500 instruments a season, depending on your
sterilization schedule, instrument mix, and payment terms. This means that you can
earn a $20-$24 profit per instrument while offering an improved standard
of care!
Sterilizing more than 2500 instruments a season? Email us to discuss a customized
solution. info@MaestroMD.com.
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What if a customer comes to me and wants just one
or two instruments sterilized? |
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We recognize that at first, not all dealers will be placing huge orders, and may
want test the waters and see how all this works. And we want to work with you! For
dealers placing an order for less than 40 units we’ll give you a 3% commission on
the value of each order at the time of payment. Additionally, we’ll give you a quarterly
commission of up to 3% on the total dollar amount of all orders for less than 40
units in the previous quarter. |
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How do I pay? |
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Your order can be paid by credit card, e-check, or with pre-approved credit and
a purchase order. If you wish to set up a credit account, Encore Etc., Inc. will
require information to establish an appropriate level of credit for your specific
account. There is a 50% cancellation charge for any order that is cancelled after
shipping materials have been sent. |
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What am I going to have to do to get instruments
ready for sterilization?
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The instruments should be prepared in the same way you normally prepare them before
distribution to students. In addition, because the science behind the MaestroMD
sterilization process involves negative atmospheric pressure, all containers of
valve oil or cork grease should be removed from the cases.
Please refer to the
instrument preparation instructions for specific details.
When you place your order you will be sent the appropriate number of MaestroMD shipping
containers along with:
- Serial number labels for each instrument
- Address labels for the return shipping of the MaestroMD shipping container(s).
Simply affix the self-adhesive serial number label on the handle of the instrument
cases (just like airline tags), and place the cases into the MaestroPAK™.
When you are ready to have your order picked up, simply call us for a pick up, or
go to www.MaestroMD.com.
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How many instruments can I sterilize at one time?
What are my options? |
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The minimum order quantity will be the number of instruments required to fill one
MaestroMD sterilization container – or what we call a MaestroPAK™. Of course,
this will vary based on the type and quantity of instruments you are sending since
a flute takes up much less room than a French horn!
Encore Etc., Inc.’s ordering process will help you determine whether or not you
have filled one or more MaestroPAKs™.
To give you an idea of how many instruments are required, a single MaestroPAK™
will hold approximately 80 clarinets in their cases, or 30 trumpets in their cases,
or 14 alto saxes in their cases.
Encore Etc., Inc. has the ability to process from 16 to 52 sterilization MaestroPAKs™
in a single sterilization environment and can handle orders ranging from hundreds
to tens of thousands of instruments at one time.
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Will the process damage my instrument or impact
its sound quality?
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Absolutely not. The instruments never leave their cases, nor are they subjected
to extreme heat or moisture.
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How does this sterilization process work?
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The MaestroMD Sterilization System uses a gas sterilization process used for decades
to sterilize medical instruments. Your instruments are loaded into a MaestroMD sterilization
container and placed into a large sterilization enclosure, which is where the real
work begins. The environment in the sterilization enclosure is monitored and controlled
by sophisticated scientific equipment with respect to atmospheric pressure, temperature,
humidity, and gas concentration levels. Your instruments are monitored every minute
of every hour that they spend in the sterilization enclosure, just as if they were
medical devices.
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Where are these instruments being sterilized? |
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Encore Etc., Inc. has several sterilization locations around the country. Your instruments
are shipped to the appropriate sterilization location based on the size of your
order and the capacity of the sterilization facility.
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Will all bacteria present on the instrument be
eradicated?
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Yes, MaestroMD eliminates all traces of bacteria on – and inside – the instruments
and inside their cases.
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How can instruments be sterile if they never leave
the case?
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This is the beauty of MaestroMD! The combination of the molecular properties of
the sterilization gas and the highly controlled environment in the sterilization
enclosure allows the sterilization gas to flow through spaces so small that they
are invisible to the eye.
The gas actually flows through the MaestroMD sterilization container, through the
special fabric of the MaestroMD pouch, and completely fills the air spaces inside
your case and instrument.
Encore Etc., Inc. precisely controls the amount of time the gas is left in your
case and instrument, which allows it to do its job. Then a series of steps reverse
the process to make sure that the sterilization gas is completely removed from inside
the case and your instrument.
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How can I be sure the process worked? Is it something
I can see? |
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Your instruments are returned in medically treated sterilization pouches that will
have two “Sterilized by MaestroMD” decals. These labels are your guarantee that
the instruments are bacteria-free.
It is important that the instrument stays in the pouch until you give it to
the student musician. Once the bag is opened, the instrument is, by definition,
no longer "sterilized".
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Is this sterilization safe?
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Yes, the MaestroMD process is safe for both your musicians and your instruments.
The EPA has approved the gas used in the MaestroMD process for sterilizing musical
wind instruments. The MaestroMD process uses the same sterilization protocols that
have been used for decades to sterilize surgical instruments, disposable medical
and dental devices, spices, and even bandages and hospital gowns worn by surgeons.
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I regularly clean my instruments, isn’t this enough? |
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"Cleaned", "disinfected", "deodorized", or "sanitized" do not mean the same thing
as "sterilized". The only way to be sure that an instrument is 100% free from all
harmful bacteria is through sterilization.
Over the years the methods used by music dealers have improved, and today, some
are more effective than others.
Regular cleaning and disinfecting of mouthpieces and wind instruments are critical,
but to be guaranteed of being 100% bacteria free, sterilization is the only solution.
Encore Etc., Inc. realizes that for some music programs, and for some instruments
(i.e. tubas shared by multiple players throughout the day), sterilization maybe
impractical or unaffordable. While sterilization is the optimal solution, disinfecting
mouthpieces between uses, with the strongest method available in the industry, is
always recommended.
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What types of bacteria are found on these wind
instruments? What types of infections can result from those bacteria? |
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Laboratory-based scientific studies proved that bacteria causing staph and strep
infections, two of the most significant reasons for student absenteeism, sore throats,
and much more serious diseases such as meningitis and tuberculosis can survive and
even grow inside a musical wind instrument. |
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What do I tell PARENTS and SCHOOLS if they ask
me about MaestroMD, and the need for sterilization? |
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If you are asked about wind instrument sterilization because of an article a parent
might have seen in the news, there are two things we suggest:
- For more information we invite them to visit our website
www.MaestroMD.com, where they can visit a special PARENTS and SCHOOLS section
where there is lots of information specific to their interests and needs.
- If they have purchased a new or used instrument on an on-line auction site, or through
an ad or at a yard sale, we strongly recommend they sterilize the instrument and
replace the case.
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What does the Insurance cover? |
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While Encore Etc., Inc. takes great care to prevent loss of or damage to instruments,
not all damage or loss is preventable. As part of the sterilization service, Encore
offers you the option to purchase insurance via Encore’s third party Insurance Services.
This coverage insures the parcel and its content against damage from any external
cause while in transit to and from your premises and in the care, custody, or control
of carriers within the U.S. and Canada.
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How much does it cost? |
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The cost for insurance coverage depends on the value of the instrument(s) being
insured and the method of shipping. Based on these two variables, insurance will
not exceed 36¢ per $100 of value. Insurance may not be available for all instruments. |
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How do I know if I already have insurance? |
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You may already have insurance coverage for your instruments, for example, through
a corporate insurance policy or from the credit card company if you pay for the
sterilization service with your credit card. You are solely responsible for confirming
whether you have other insurance coverage for the instrument(s), the coverage limits,
and applicable policy limitations. |
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How do I purchase or decline purchasing insurance? |
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If you decide to purchase insurance, you must click the appropriate boxes during
the order process. Your decision to purchase or decline insurance on the order processing
screen applies to all instruments included in that order.
On any order in which you purchase insurance, you agree that you will pay the then
applicable insurance premium in effect at the time of order. The premium for the
insurance may change from time to time. The applicable charge for the insurance
will be displayed at the time you place an order for the instrument sterilization
services. After you have the opportunity to review the applicable charges, you may
elect not to purchase the Insurance.
YOU MUST MODIFY THE ORDER (DECLINE COVERAGE) TO REMOVE THE INSURANCE BEFORE SUBMITTING
YOUR ORDER. UPON SUBMITTING YOUR ORDER, YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THE INSURANCE AND
THE INSURANCE CHARGES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE.
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What does this coverage not insure and what are the
conditions? |
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Insurance coverage does not apply to any fines, penalties, punitive damages or damages
for unauthorized use of service in violation of the Processing Services Agreement,
and is subject to the terms and restrictions of the insurance policy. Click here
to review and print the terms of the insurance policy. You should keep a copy of
the policy for your records. |
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