Singapore Musical Box Museum - 168 Telok Ayer St

Name: Singapore Musical Box Museum - 168 Telok Ayer St
Address: Singapore 068619, Singapore

4.7/5 ★ based on 8 reviews

Contact Singapore Musical Box Museum

Address :	Singapore 068619
Phone :	📞 +98
Website :	http://www.singaporemusicalboxmuseum.org/
Categories :	Tourist attraction , Museum ,
Description :	Compact museum displaying 1800s & 1900s music boxes from Europe as well as Asian versions.

Best Museum in Singapore

R	Ronald Wee on Google ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Quite an interesting visit learning about the history of musical boxes and clocks in Singapore. (The place is in the temple, for those prone to getting lost.)
J	Jen chia on Google ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Highly recommended. Never visited private museums in Singapore, and not a huge fan of musical boxes, but I came here with my family using Singapore Rediscovers vouchers and never regretted any bit. Impressed with the Mandarin-speaking guide (my parents can only understand Mandarin) who explained the musical boxes in detail and I was so amazed by these impressive musical boxes - be it their size, the kind of melodies that were generated- , and proud that Singapore did play a role in musical box production as well! And I love that how my elderly parents enjoyed this museum too :))) Oh, did I mention that the ticket also include a box of delicious kuehs for us too? In summary, very worth it. And I won't mind visiting again. :)
A	Apple Koh on Google ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ SMBM responds to email fast and accommodating to requests! Short walk from Telok Ayer MRT station and housed in a beautifully conserved building, the guided tour at SMBM was about 45 mins long, filled with wonderful music from the very well-maintained collection of musical boxes. The curator, who is also the owner, explained every musical box with vivid descriptions in chorological order. We enjoyed the tour very much!
J	J wye on Google ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Engaging and informative tour about the origins of the musical box and some local history about them. Museum is located within the temple compound. Tour is 40mins long and we were lead by the owner himself. The various musical boxes were a gem to look and listen to. Feeling the vibrations and the timbre of the noted from the musical boxes is an experience of its own. Wished it could be longer and that we could listen more to the beautiful songs. However, understandable due to the fragile nature and lack of repair options of the musical boxes. Would recommend to all! If you’re interested in making a musical box of your own, do make a reservation as well. We were told to make a reservation for that despite going for the tour and the owner explaining to us that we could do it after. 1 star off as the service of the restaurant staff could be better. Both restaurant and museum are interlinked.
G	Gelien Chia on Google ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Really great guided tour by the Founder & Collector himself, Naoto Orui. Very insightful and got to appreciate the mechanics and innovation, and also the beautiful music! Great staff at the cafe as well ?????? the ticket stubs were also very creative. Will recommend!
V	Victor Mo on Google ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Good guided tour, interesting topic! The history of the musical boxes over the ages. Takumi-san is very engaging and engrossing as he goes through the exhibits and operates the different types of boxes. The music was wonderful. Hope more people can come support this nice museum. Food was pretty good, we got Laska and Rendang. No hum in Laska and the soup was lukewarm, can be hotter!
W	W S.H on Google ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Good engaging tour which took about one hour. It is located in a little annex next to the temple, with it's own entrance (do not enter from the temple main gate). There is a cafe onsite which serves Peranakan food. Rendang chicken is not bad. Would taste better if served piping hot. Staff are friendly and helpful. Please note that you have to climb up and down a flight of stairs to access and exit the museum which is on the second level (did not see any elevator onsite). Overall a good experience.
S	Souhi on Google ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Simply fantastic. Even though I used my Rediscover vouchers this time, I will definitely revisit this museum. It really changed my opinion on what music boxes are and can be. Mr Minami, the knowledgeable guide, provided us with detailed explanations on how the music boxes worked, as well as the charming history of them. It's really interesting to see music boxes of different sizes, some being really small, and some being as huge as a jukebox (or larger). It was a very engaging and surprisingly, interactive session. Super worth your time and money. The other part of the tour that surprised me was a collection of craftsmanship products from Singapore! I'm ashamed that as a local, I have little knowledge of it. It was great to learn more about the history of music boxes, and at the very end, we got to leave the tour on a delightful note! Hint: do not bend your entrance ticket!