The metronome is clicking away on the stand. The student starts with it, gets ahead during the run, then slows down at the hard part. By the end, the click has become background noise.

Turning it up might make it louder. Before doing that, check whether the student knows what they're trying to line up with it.

Start without the piece

Choose a comfortable pulse and tap along together. Listen for whether the taps land with the click. If they drift, stop and find the pulse again rather than making the exercise longer.

Move to one repeated note. Use an easy register and an articulation the student already knows. Ask them to hear a few clicks before joining in, then stop cleanly after a short group.

If that works but the piece doesn't, you've learned something: keeping time with the click becomes harder when the other demands arrive. Add them back gradually.

Choose what each click means

A student may have switched the metronome on without deciding whether it marks a quarter note, an eighth note, or something else. Count a measure aloud and point to where the clicks fall.

Subdividing the beat can help clarify a rhythm. Start with a pattern short enough to count and play comfortably. Save less frequent clicks for when the basic relationship is secure; clicking only on every second beat adds another job.

In a piano experiment with novices, Lappe and colleagues found that changing pitch feedback affected sequencing and synchronization differently. That experiment doesn't prescribe a lesson routine, but it is a useful reminder to check timing separately from getting the note sequence right.

Go back to the passage

Use a few measures at a tempo where the student has time to listen. Ask which note began to pull away. Work on the approach to that note, then hear the whole short passage again.

Keep the metronome audible without making it uncomfortable. If the instrument overwhelms it, try a more suitable sound, placement, or a quieter exercise.

Finally, play the passage without the click. Ask the student whether the pulse felt different and where they would check it next time. The home assignment should name the tempo, what the click represents, and the passage—not just “use a metronome.”