8 Preface aspects are investigated with respect to an evolving cultural context that is strongly influenced by recent advances in media and information technology. Research results, on the other hand, will inform areas such as artistic practice, the design of interactive technology for art, education, and entertainment, or more general social concerns including care, rehabilitation, and therapy.Thus, music research not only constitutes fundamental research aiming to understand social and cultural processes as well as related technological develop-ments, which within musicology is traditionally covered by systematic and more recently by cognitive musicology, but it also assumes an active role which itself calls for critical reflection. To address these scientific challenges in a comprehensive manner and to contribute productively and responsibly to ongoing societal developments, research related to systematic and cognitive musicology needs to integrate highly focused disciplinary work within a perspective that transcends and even redefines traditional disciplinary boundaries at the intersection of humanities, sciences, and technology.We hope that these conference proceedings represent the wide distribution of research pathways involved into music research and show the academic quality and the individual research interests of the young generation of scientists in the field of systematic musicology.On behalf of the SysMus11 organizing team we wish to thank our keynote speakers, Prof. Dr. W. Tecumseh Fitch (University of Vienna), PD Dr. Ricarda Schubotz (University of Münster, MPI for Neurological Research, Cologne), Dr. Jin Hyun Kim (Free University of Berlin) and Prof. Anthony Moore (Academy of Media Arts, Cologne) for their contribution to the conference program as well as the Tilbury House, Cologne, for its dedication to the debating workshop. This publication was realized by the student council of the Institute of Musicology of the University of Cologne.We also like to thank epOs music publishing, the International Cooperative in Systematic and Comparative Musicology (ICSCM), all helping hands within the organizing team and Manuela Marin for her constant support to let the SysMus conference series rise.Cologne, November 2012 Julia Wewers and Prof. Dr. Uwe Seifert (conference director)(conference co-director)