In the process of recovery rehab from a mild stoke, I was introduced to metronome therapy by Guido Rodriguez, my Physical Therapist at the Methodist Hospital in Omaha.  It had an almost immediate beneficial effect on many of my activities, particularly when I incorporated Alexander Technique self  directions. I did a bit of research to learn more about this process which I’ll share in the blog.

I’m in no way an authority but it’s effects were so dramatic for me that I think other Alexander Technique teachers and students will find it useful. Moreover basic Alexander Technique self-directions can easily be incorporated into the process to make it even more effective.

Guido and Me

To start, the name most associated with metronome therapy is Interactive Metronome. The name is copyrighted and is well known to Occupational Therapists as a way to help children with developmental issues. However it’s possible for anyone to use metronome therapy for themselves and in recent years other practitioners, mainly Physical Therapists, have incorporated the basic ideas into their practice and found that adults too can benefit from the process. In particular it is helpful in restoring left and right brain coordination, something that many Alexander Technique teachers observe in their students. I believe metronome therapy can speed that up and could be seen as another Alexander Technique procedure.*

Here’s an overview of research provided by Anne Buchwald, PT, DPT, CPT:

What does the research reveal about the clinical application of metronomes? In the context of various medical conditions: 1. Parkinson’s Disease: Studies have shown that Interactive Metronome (IM) therapy effectively improves the postural stability and upper extremity function in patients with Parkinson’s Disease. 2. Cerebral Palsy (Spastic Hemiplegia): Research indicates significant improvements in kinematic outcomes following metronome training. Notable findings include smoother and shorter movement trajectories, particularly in bimanual conditions, especially for the affected side. The unimanual condition also exhibits increased smoothness in the non-affected side. 3. Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): Incorporating metronome therapy alongside standard rehabilitation care appears to yield positive outcomes in neuropsychological aspects for soldiers who have sustained mild-to-moderate TBI and continue to experience cognitive difficulties beyond the expected recovery period. 4. Stroke: Metronome training can be employed as an occupational therapy program for patients with various conditions requiring adjustments in the timing of movements, including stroke patients.

You can read her full article here: Why I Use Metronomes in Physical Therapy

Another article worth reading is Using Metronomes in PT and OT

The only reference to metronomes and the Alexander Technique I’ve found – and it’s somewhat indirect – is Rhythm for Alexander Teachers by Pedro de Alcantara.

Metronome therapy typically involves first making simple sequential movements with you left and right arms, or your left and right legs, to the beat of a metronome. And then sequential movements of your left arm and right leg, and right arm and left leg, again to the beat of the metronome. There is an almost unlimited range of movements you can use, and a great many ways to make the movements more challenging.

One way to get an idea of what metronome therapy looks like so you can do some basic exploration on your own, is to watch these two conversations I had with Imogen Ragone, an Alexander Technique teacher in Wilmington, Delaware:

Part 1 – Metronome Demonstrations:

Part 2 Discussion about metronome therapy:

Here are a few things to bear in mind as you are exploring metronome therapy:

1. The Metronome free app is available on iPhone and Android and is very easy to use.

2. It is important that your hand and foot movements occur at the same pace as the metronome beats.  This was easy for Imogen, but can be a challenge for people recovering from a stroke, people with Parkinson’s, and the like and even people how have not used a metronome before or don’t have a good sense of rhythm.  It’s often best at first to have feedback from someone else watching you. I enlisted my wife for that task.

3. A fairly low speed, like 40 beats per minute, is often a good place to start, and then slowly moving up to 65 beats per minute is recommended by many people with experience with metronome therapy.

4. It’s usually a good idea to practice for only a two or three minutes at a time to start.  Coordinating movements with a metronome can be mentally challenging and requires downtime to process.

If you have used metronome therapy in the past, or if you’ve benefited from the information here, please share your story.

*In a recent (mid 2025) conversation on the Facebook Alexander Technique Forum group about what constitutes an Alexander Technique teaching procedure, dozens of activities were nominated and some teachers felt any activity could be a procedure!

Finally, here are a couple of fun metronome songs: The Metronome Song and My Marvelous Metronome