What's the point of metronomes?

I've met very few musicians in my life who actually enjoy working with a metronome, and if you're one of my students, you've probably complained about having to use one as well. The fact is, it's not much fun practicing with a small electronic device that constantly beeps at you and lets you know you're playing incorrectly.

Why do we need to use one?

For one thing, the ending goal of most professional musicians is in an orchestra. To play with the orchestra, you must have an internal beat and be able to keep a steady tempo. It's easy to play the simple parts fast and the hard parts slow, as well as skip over all the whole notes. Playing with a metronome will make it much less of a shock when you join the orchestra in rehearsal and realize that you have to follow the conductor.

Speaking of  following the conductor, you may have noticed that they don't make noises to keep you on beat. The metronome will get you used to how much time to wait, what tempos to play, and what rhythms to do before you have to rely on your eyes only in rehearsal.

Finally, it's hard to control your tempo all on your own. The metronome is more like a coach than a disciplinarian. It's there to help you out, not to punish you. Let the metronome be your teacher and guide, and take some of the weight off your own shoulders. You have plenty of other things to think about!