Attending to the fundamentals of playing an instrument is the most important aspect of any practice session, regardless of the length of time one has available. The period devoted to warming up is as essential for instrumental performers as it is for athletes. A disciplined approach to warming up reinforces good habits and prepares the instrumentalist for whatever upcoming performance opportunities might occur that particular day. The warmups for saxophone, clarinet, and flute that I am offering on a monthly basis are reflective of the exercises that I have found most helpful as a player and teacher throughout my career. They are derived from a variety of sources including excerpts from well-regarded pedagogical texts, examples that have been passed down from famous players/teachers, as well as original creations. It is essential to practice them slowly until one is able to execute them perfectly before attempting to play them at greater speeds.
The warmups are not offered in any specific order. For instance, there may be a tone excerpt for flute, a finger exercise for clarinet, and an articulation example for saxophone presented simultaneously in the same monthly posting. In many cases, one can apply any of the examples designed for a specific instrument to the other woodwinds. Ultimately, there will be a great number of exercises presented for each instrument from which to choose. It is important to have a variety of materials memorized that focus on the fundamentals of sonority, breathing, finger technique, flexibility, articulation, and phrasing for saxophone, clarinet, and flute. The exercises will continue to remain on the website after the month that they are posted and all are downloadable.
You may wish to browse all warmups.