Music must for people of all ages, says Dubai professor

Deeply engage people of all ages, in music and there would be more critical, analytical and reflective thinkers, able to decode and decide for improvements.

That is because, according to a Dubai-based professor, broadly engaged in Neuroscience, Neonatology, Medical Psychology and Music Psychology, “music,” though not the ultra for intelligence, is essentially “organised sound,” and the brain is fundamentally “an organ that learns by detecting structure namely rhythm, timing, predictability and change.”

Canadian University Dubai-School of Health Sciences and Psychology Neuroscience and Medical Psychology Prof. Efthymios Papatzikis, moreover said that imperative – in order to obviate “human capital loss” – for the world’s “future capacity for learning, productivity and well-being” are “state-led programmes” which utilise “safe and structured developmental inputs such as organised sound and parent voice,” from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

These “reduce preventable Disability-Adjusted Life Years burden and protect the cognitive ‘infrastructure’ that any future-driven, knowledge-based society depends on.”

Papatziki’s conclusion is in accordance with his extensive research on the NICU “family-centred care, cognitive growth and self-regulation,” that used neuroimaging, which is the analyses of the central nervous system/brain structure and function.

Papatzikis, heavily involved in deciphering the brain development-bio-behavioural development-Precision Medicine nexus, in the first 1,500 days of life, was interviewed, because of the deep curiosity on how music connects with the absorption and progress of competence, particularly the cognitive processes of critical and analytical thinking.

Meanwhile, over in Sharjah, Certified Elementary and Drama teacher Elipas Cahaponon Sibua has been mentoring children and adults alike in the discipline of music, which he himself has been enamoured with since childhood.

Having the opportunity to be a member of the West Negros Glee Club under the baton of Manay Lily Cabahug, mother of the Philippines’ great classical tenor Nolyn Cabahug, Sibua has been responsible for replicating the excellent performances of his mentees at local to international competitions.

From the January “The World Rising Stars 2026” in Tbilisi, Georgia, were Celine Madison Madondo (Supreme Grand Prix 2026/Fashion Model/Best Singer), Zainah Alexine Ragat (Grand Prix Model 2026/Best in National Costume), Martinus Miguel (Grand Prix Talent 2026/Winner in Modelling/Best Performer), Khristian Josh Surigao (Model of the World 2026/Continental Winner of Asia/Best Perfomer), Edrie Jezreel Fornales (Winner in Modelling/Best Perfomer), and Yashmi Diorah (Princess of the World/Best Dancer).

Sibua said: “Music gave me direction at a young age. It taught me discipline, empathy and purpose. I discovered not only my own voice, but also my ability to guide and inspire others. Everyone has unique potential. Guiding each children is about nurturing curiosity, creativity and confidence early on. For adults, it is about encouraging self-expression, emotional growth, and the joy of pursuing a lifelong dream.”

That the discipline, arising from music and contests, helps inculcate life’s basics of preparedness, flexibility, and self-control. That while inspiring mentees “reach their fullest potential and use their talents to glorify God, others are positively impacted through music.”

For Papatzikis, music is “mentally sharpening. When someone trains in music, whether a child learning an instrument or an adult refining singing and listening skills, they repeatedly engage auditory perception, attention, working memory, sensorimotor coordination, and emotion regulation. The structured high-density practice environment for prediction and error-correction, efficient learning routines, and better self-regulation” are implanted.

Papatzikis pointed out that however, the passion for music does not “magically increase intelligence, the “learning operators,” composed of “sustained attention, cognitive flexibility, sequencing and tolerance feedback” redound to “disciplined observation, precision and reflective thinking.”

Papatzikis detailed: “Music practice is a continuous loop of setting a goal, monitoring performance, isolating what went wrong (timing, accuracy, expression), and implementing targeted change. That loop resembles analytical thinking in everyday life: forming hypotheses, testing them, revising, and persisting.”

“Therefore, through any form of music engagement, we can say, that we train ourselves in disciplined observation, precision, and reflective thinking,” Papatzikis also said.