My Successful Proposal: Let Customized Music Box Melodies Speak for My Heart (Singapore)
Daniel W.
My Successful Proposal: Let Customized Music Box Melodies Speak for My Heart (Singapore)
Daniel W.
The following is Daniel’s original description of his personal experience in how he planned his important proposal, and we are glad to have his permission to share his complete story about their unique music box here.
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Hello everyone, I’m Daniel from Singapore.
I am doing a PhD in Computer Science on distributed systems – my thesis is on the application of machine learning to flash caching in (data center) bulk storage systems. I enjoy musicals, karaoke, cooking and nature!
A Heartfelt Proposal Surprise Made by the Music in the Forest
I proposed to T (she was my girlfriend, now my fiancée) with the Muro Box.
Music is one of T (She was my girlfriend, now my fiancée.)’s talents and a key part of our relationship (we enjoy singing together). She has always had a soft spot for music boxes. When I discovered the Muro Box, I knew that it would be a wonderful gift for her.
I decided to propose to her in a clearing in the woods. Instead of a speech, I decided I would present my sentiments in song. Live music has a special and unique quality, but I do not play any instruments — the Muro Box was the perfect companion for me.
The surprise was carefully planned. On the big day, I drove her to the clearing, asking her to walk ahead of me, without looking back (“like Orpheus and Eurydice”). Behind her, I carried the Muro Box, a small table and a guitar. I used the guitar as a resonance box to naturally amplify the Muro Box’s sound. I set it all down, and then asked her to turn around.
I sang “A Million Dreams” (we often used it to warm up in karaoke), then a medley of Christian songs (God Bless the Broken Road, When God Made You, He Has Chosen You For Me), and then a song about me dedicating myself to her for a lifetime (一生守候).
“Waiting for you,
waiting for your gentle hand to hold mine,
accompanying me to walk the long road slowly,
until eternity.”
— Excerpt from the lyrics of “一生守候” (A Lifetime of Waiting)
My last song was a duet we had sung before, “In A Crowd of Thousands”, from the Broadway musical Anastasia.
T gamely sung her part alongside me, and at the end of the song, I dropped down onto one knee, just like in the musical.
As the theme song from a game we played together (It Takes Two) played in the background, I delivered a short speech, pulled out the ring and asked: “Will you marry me?”
Her response was immediate and clear: “Yes!”
I slid the ring onto her finger. Our faces were radiant with joy. The Muro Box continued to play in the background as we prayed and then took our first stroll as fiance and fiancee around the clearing, our voices excitedly chatting, laughing and just bubbling blissfully.
The Muro Box Recreates the Meaningful Moment with its Live Music Performance
I shared how T ( my fiancée) felt at that moment:
The whole proposal was a surprise to me, since I had thought that it would happen later in the year. With the music box playing the pieces that bear significance to us, and the effort put into customizing the pieces, it was an incredibly meaningful moment as he sang his heart out to me. The tinkling of the music box, amplified by the guitar, created a magical setting for this moment that sounds in my head when I think back to that day, bringing a smile to my face. And the wonderful thing is that the “live” music that day can be recreated again and again on demand, having been captured in the Muro Box, and we can also re-share this special moment with our loved ones around us.
Why I Choose this Music Box for My Proposal?
Music is one of our great shared interests. We sing in choir and she plays the piano and violin. Another instrument we enjoy listening to is the kalimba, which sounds similar to the music box. My fiancée is also fond of cute small things, of which the Muro Box is certainly one.
In my fiancée’s words: “the soothing peal of the comb striking the pins, watching the barrel spin around slowly and the pins reverberating, amazement at the physics behind how it all works to create melody.” We enjoy music boxes with both our ears and our eyes — we’re invariably drawn to them whenever we see one displayed outside. We have visited multiple music box museums, including the Bayernhof Museum in Pittsburgh, PA, USA and the Singapore Musical Box Museum.
▲T and I also visited the Bayernhof Museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. The impressive display of music boxes and instruments left a lasting impression on us.
The Moment I Decide to Buy this Music Box: Watching the Live Stream of Muro Box
I discovered the Muro Box in 2022, a year before buying it. It was the perfect gift for a lover of music boxes – it plays beautiful, customized melodies without the limitations of paper strips or a hand crank. I had been searching for a birthday gift, but the Muro Box was so special that I decided to wait till a year later, to use it in my proposal. I was hoping the N40 might be released by then and that was when I subscribed to the N40 newsletter.
The moment I knew that I absolutely had to get the Muro Box was when I opened up the app and played a melody that I knew (River flows in you by Yiruma) on Twitch, and then another (Once Upon a December from Anastasia) and then another (Angel of Music from Phantom of the Opera).
Hearing my melodies played live by the Muro Box was eye-opening in a way that the YouTube recordings were not. Live music just strikes you differently, even if it’s 7,701 miles away.
The Muro Box far surpasses the sound quality of the typical music box found in shopping malls which only plays one song, yet is far more affordable and accessible than antique music boxes that are seen in museums and private collectors. It is the music box of the people.
I have a dream to propose with a music box!
I had a wild dream of bringing the Muro Box to a forest clearing and using it as accompaniment as I sang a medley of songs for my marriage proposal. I wrote in to ask about the N40 and received nothing but kindness from the Muro Box team, especially Dr. Tsai and Ms. Liu. They helped me pick the right model – a N20 Standard – and recommended a battery bank, facilitated the designing of the wood box and metal plate engravings. The shipping was fast and arrived earlier than anticipated, carefully packed. I was blown away and impressed at every step of unboxing the N20 and testing it out.
The wonderful thing is that it is not just a brilliant idea, but executed brilliantly. There is nothing remotely like it. Unlike an off-the-shelf music box, it can play your own melody. Unlike a customized music box, it can play different songs and in their full lengths. Unlike a paper strip, you can easily import new melodies or edit existing ones via the app. The USB-C powerbank allows you to take it on the go, while the in-built memory means you do not need a constant internet connection (which turned out to be essential as I had no cellphone reception in the woods!). Playing preloaded melodies is easy for anyone to do with a touch of the button on the side, and loading them is a breeze – just do it in the app, and it synchronizes down the next time the Muro Box is connected to wi-fi.
I already have the songs in mind when making the proposal plan.
The composer Ms. Liu Hung Yin helped me to arrange two songs:
1. In A Crowd of Thousands
This song is from the Broadway musical Anastasia (originally sung by Christy Altomare and Derek Klena). During this song, the character Dmitry discovers that Anya is actually the princess, Anastasia, and thus as the closing notes of the song play, he kneels down on bended knee and says, “Your highness”. Anastasia is my favorite musical, and my fiancée and I have sung this duet many times in the past during karaoke sessions.
The thing about this duet (“In A Crowd of Thousands” [full scene]) is that at the end of the song, the guy kneels down on bended knee (when he realizes she is royalty). T. and I have sung “In A Crowd of Thousands” many times in karaoke, years before we started dating. In the past, I followed the choreography (minus running around) including getting down on bended knee (half in jest, half in faithfulness to the song). I stopped kneeling (for this song) after we started dating because I wanted to save it for the proposal.
2. Dedication song: 一生守候 (A Lifetime of Waiting)
This is a song she likes. She introduced it to me a while ago as a song that I could sing, mentioning that the singer used it to propose to his fiancée — I stored that fact right away and saved the song for my proposal.
My Favorite Song
When I first heard the rearrangement of “一生守候”, I was struck with emotion as it tugged at my heartstrings (literal chills!). I listened to it over and over on the Muro Box. It’s almost like when you hear your singer perform your favorite songs live in front of you – like your own mini-concert!
How We Use the Muro Box in Daily Life
I enjoy the fact that you can use it as an alarm clock – what a peaceful way to wake up and start the day!
I’ve played it for my friend’s kids – they find it remarkably soothing!
Another possibility is being able to put on a slow song and invite your significant other for a dance.
Whatever song you put on the Muro Box, it often puts a smile on people’s faces.
Here’s a playlist of my favorite songs to share:
- A Million Dreams
- Medley: God Bless The Broken Road / When God Made You / He Has Chosen You for Me
- A Lifetime of Waiting 一生守候
- In A Crowd of Thousands
- It Takes Two (theme song)
- Blessings
- River Flow in You
- A Thousand Years
The Muro Box App offers a composition function. I imported melodies of songs that are close to my heart, by transposing MIDI files or by using MusicBoxManiacs as a starting point.
My Next Plan for Using the Muro Box-N40: Wedding
My next plan for using the Muro Bo-N40 is during different parts of the wedding, such as background music before the ceremony starts or during the wedding banquet. It will be a unique way of having live music played exactly to my specifications, and it also can be a conversation piece. It is enthralling to watch and I’m sure my guests will enjoy it.
