Robert Heishman

Hi, my name is Robert.  I'm a Lieutenant with the Department of Corrections and I am currently assigned to the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in Smyrna Delaware.  I have been with the Department since 1999.  Prior to my service with the Department of Corrections, I served in the United States Air Force from 1983 to 1994 as a C-5 Crew Chief and a Data Analysis Operator.     

I began playing music in high school, starting with the marching band.  When I was a freshmen at Caesar Rodney High School, I wanted to learn how to play the trumpet.  The director of the marching band started giving me lessons. I practiced hours a day and by the time I was a sophomore, I was able to play with the rest of the band..  I played with the marching band, orchestra, and jazz band at Caesar Rodney High School.  I also played with the Kent County band in my junior year.

I originally started with the First State Force Band in 2002 except then I was playing trumpet.  I left the band in 2003 to pursue my educational goals.  In 2006 I graduated Wilmington College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice and it didn't take me long to come back to the First State Force Band.  This time though, I didn't come back playing the trumpet.  I came back wanting to play the electric drums.  I have always wanted to learn how to play, so I started learning by finding lessons available on DVD's and on the internet. I really enjoy practicing and playing with the band.   

.

My personal philosophy is there are two types of people in this world.  There are the positive people and there are the negative people.  Both, have one thing that is different from each other, and that is that each one is looking for something different.  Both people have one thing in common, and that is they will find what they are looking for.  If you are a positive person, you're going to look for the positive things in life and you will find the positive. So keep looking for the positives, no matter how hard things seem at time.

I take the philosophy of the band seriously and I believe that we can all make a difference.  Stay in school, stay away from the drugs and alcohol, and don't let anything stop you.