ABSTRACT
Richard Mulcaster was the headmaster of the Merchant Taylors’ School in London in the latter half of the 16th century. He was famous for his instruction in both instrumental and vocal music and for his use of playacting to promote “good behavior and audacity.” His students frequently performed at court and were favorites of the queen. He was also the teacher of both Thomas Jenkins and John Cotham, two headmasters, one after the other, at the Stratford Latin Grammar School during the time that Shakespeare was a student.
Mulcaster was a visionary in the history of education. His two books on pedagogy address many issues on which his views seem prescient today. He was an early and passionate advocate for the expressive power of the English language and envisioned a time when English, not Latin, would the language of the classroom. Most important, for the purposes of my book, he advocated for teaching in and through the arts: vocal and instrumental music, drawing, dance, and theatre.
