Miks Silis was born in Riga, Latvia and moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan when he was eight. He started playing viola in the public school system there, at the encouragement of his mother, who is herself a professional cellist and cello teacher.

Miks went on to earn a Bachelor of Music degree from Western Michigan University with Igor Fedotov, and later attended the College-Conservatory of Music where he completed a Masters of Music and Artist Diploma studying with Masao Kawasaki and Dr. Catharine Carroll.

Miks began teaching Suzuki violin in 2010 and quickly realised the he loved helping children develop their own voice through their instrument. He aims to give his students a strong foundation for further musical study, so that they can continue to play and love music throughout their life.