Recently I watched a TED talk by Amy Cuddy “Your body language shapes who you are”. Amy is a social psychologist and a Harvard researcher. Amy’s talk was about how posturing affects hormone levels in the brain, and might even have an impact on our chances for success. And a proverbial bell started to ring in my mind. I always knew the importance of the correct posture at the piano – the correct posture allows a performer to play with the whole body and project emotions. It turns out that this posture is actually an “open position” as well – the position that increases testosterone level and decreases cortisol level in the brain.  So, the correct posture makes a piano player more confident at the instrument, helps make fewer mistakes and helps him or her better deal with the excitement and stress of a performance.  As with everything in life, to be good at the piano you have to do many things right. And sitting correctly is one of them.