A laser or other substantially collimated light source is operatively connected to a reciprocating driver that causes a beam (115) from the laser to sweep across a conveniently viewable surface (105) at an adjustable frequency, thereby tracing a pattern (110) on the surface (105) between a plurality of beam path boundaries (140) . The beam's direction change at a beam path boundary generally serves as a visual indication of a musical beat. The laser may be positioned and/or aimed to project the beam on any surface. The frequency of driver reciprocation (i.e., the tempo) may be adjusted to correspond to one of a range of typical musical tempos, thereby providing the functionality of a metronome but with the novel and useful additional element of a projected beat image.
