At the age of 14, he began studying the trumpet with Donald Reinhardt in Philadelphia, spending every summer in that city from 1950 to 1955.
[2] Stone began his performance career in 1951 at the age of 16 playing in Benny Louis's big band.
He also performed actively as a jazz musician, playing regularly with such artists as Ron Collier (1960–73), Phil Nimmons (1965–1970), the Boss Brass (1968–1970), and Lighthouse (1969–1970).
[1][3] After returning to Toronto in 1971, Stone became highly involved with his work as a teacher and his performance career virtually ceased for the remainder of the decade; although he remained active as a composer.
From 1977 until his death in Toronto in 1986, Stone ran his own private studio where he taught improvisational theory and music composition.