In most artistic endeavors, there’s a fine line between art that’s merely a product of necessity and art that extends from the innermost reaches of the soul. For competitive young musicians, such subtleties amount to the difference between widespread renown and a long bus ride home.

In his documentary “CHOPS,” University alum and debut film director Bruce Broder explores the intricacies of jazz performance with an intimate look into three public schools in different parts of the country. The film follows each school’s jazz band as its members rehearse a rigorous repertoire for a competition in New York City.

One may be tempted to chuckle at the thought of such an undertaking — many college students share embarrassing memories of sub-par high school music departments, forever doomed to fumble through their umpteenth rendition of the "Star Wars" theme song as musicianship is continually forgone in favor of sports funding. Fortunately, Broder’s subjects occupy a young elite who are privileged enough to attend public schools that place a disproportionate emphasis on music over sports.

While watching the film, one begins to see distinct similarities between the camaraderie of these musicians and the fraternity one might observe on a competitive sports team. Broder saw this similitude, but also saw that the media has been spotlighting one group vastly over the other and wanted to shrink the gap.

“The primary draw of this concept was the fact that very few documentarians bother with the subject of high school jazz bands,” Broder said. “Sportsmen are frequently the subjects of documentaries and mass media, so it was a great opportunity to share these kids’ unsung musical passions with the world.”

Broder also wanted to show off just how talented these young musicians are. The technical skill and affinity for perfectionism that these tight-knit groups of teenage jazz enthusiasts share rival the talent normally expected of veteran musicians twice their age.

“What these kids have is a pure love of music, a love of performance,” Broder said.

Pure doesn’t even begin to describe it. The documentary’s introduction clearly demonstrates the hard work each student invests in his or her craft. They’re surprisingly humble in spite of their abundant talent, and equally unrelenting in their endeavors to win the competition.

“As a band parent myself, I followed these kids from middle school through high school, and in middle school they all shared an incredible degree of commitment to the music,” Broder said. “I thought it would be interesting to examine what happens to that passion and that love after the kids enter high school and are met with all sorts of distractions and various other interests.”

Though the film’s scope encompasses three individual schools and their bands, its primary focus is the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in Jacksonville, Fla. These pupils strive for a coveted spot in the annual Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition & Festival at the Lincoln Center in New York City.

The competition is named after the great Duke Ellington, who is widely considered to be the father of modern jazz music. Only 15 bands make the cut for the competition each year, so there is very little room for error. Perks of acceptance include several formal dinners, a community jam session, club gigs in the New York area and the honor of standing alongside Artistic Director of Jazz at the Lincoln Center Wynton Marsalis, a nine-time Grammy Award winner and the first winner of the Pulitzer Prize in Music for a jazz composition.

Because making the competition comes with so much prestige, the students are undoubtedly under a lot of pressure.