Playing by ear is a great skill to have whether you can read music or not.
Playing a wind instrument - or any instrument - is a complex activity involving multiple areas of the brain as you read the music, interpret the symbols, and move your fingers and tongue in synchrony, all while listening to the sounds you produce and adjust your playing as necessary.
Playing by ear allows your brain more “space” to work on tone and interpretation. Rather than being glued to the page, your eyes free to connect with a conductor and ensemble members. It’s a necessary skill if you intend to improvise or create your own ornamentations. It can also save you if you get lost in the score.
Playing by ear is not memorizing sheet music and it is not having “perfect” pitch. It is learning to hear the relationships between notes, the patterns in melodies, and the signposts of cadences. When you play by ear, the “sheet music” is in your head.