Theories of Higher... Ballet

A little swan princess in the making

It is many little girls’ dreams to put on a tutu and twirl and smile on a lighted stage, as her mom and dad watch proudly in the audience. And as they get older, some girls know they want to grow up to be ballerinas, and it is their dream to join a prestigious dance company. But the road to get there is a long and tedious one, similar to how students transition from high school to college and into the working world. Louis Menand presents three different theories of education. Not one theory is the “correct” one, as these theories can overlap one another and stir up some great debate. These theories can also be applied to the performing arts world, and it is also difficult to assign just one theory to this type of education.

Menand’s first theory approaches a meritocratic system, where education is used as a sorting mechanism -- the most intelligent students are those who get the best grades. One of the most prestigious performing arts schools in the country, Julliard, only selects the performers that meet strict requirements. Auditions, call backs, and solo performances are just a few ways used to narrow down the field to the cream of the crop. Their acceptance rate is even lower than Harvard, Columbia, and Stanford! Once accepted, the sorting mechanism continues, as accepted performers are put through rigorous classes, where the best will truly come out and into the spotlight and the others will not be as successful. 

In Menand’s second theory, he describes higher education as a democracy. Elites and masses are included, and equal citizenry is promoted. Julliard is not a democracy. Accepted performers are considered more elite. However, another aspect of this second theory is that there is an emphasis on liberal arts and well-roundedness. Although Julliard concentrates on performing arts, they also offer a liberal arts electives that help students balance out their curricula. Unlike Menand’s first theory, grades are not everything, and there is more growth and learning. Growth and learning are essential for a performer’s success. 

Menand’s final theory is slightly more difficult to apply to public colleges, but it is a little more fitting for performing arts schools, such as Julliard. According to Menand, students go to college to gain specific skills for specific careers. As a pre-med student, I am almost positive that knowing what the molecular weight of bis(p-chlorobenzaldehyde) N,N'-diethyl-N,N'-ethylenedihydrazone is will not help me read x-rays and diagnose patients. Performing arts students, on the other hand, do go to schools like Julliard to become trained performers who can one day become professional performers. Julliard and similar schools focus on producing trained workers. 

Julliard promotes students that are competitive to get to the top, are well-rounded, 

and are specialized in a specific concentration. So which of Menand’s theories best matches up?

Public colleges like the University of Michigan and performing arts schools like Julliard both promote constant learning based on strong foundations of teaching. Education, no matter the subject, is complicated and there is not a sole definition to describe it. Menand’s three theories suggest different ways of how higher education is looked at. As students in this introduction political science course, we have scrutinized these theories in relation to public colleges. What about performing arts schools? Which theory is most fitting?