Yes they can. Through constant practice and training anyone can learn to sing very well. There are those who are born with a natural inclination and ability to sing but it still takes practice to develop and strengthen that ability and even someone without any noticeable talent can learn the skills necessary and through hard work can create strong voices. A pretty voice is a dime a dozen, a strong, good voice is another story and it always takes work to build it and sustain it. To Hungry Guy: Yes, I mentioned that training is usually necessary. There may be those who can learn on their own, but it is a good idea to have a good vocal teacher to help you learn what you cannot learn on your own and to teach proper breathing and control.

No not everyone.

In a high school play 20 years ago I had to actually recite a song due to poor singing technique and a teacher proclaimed I could never learn to sing. I have spent a good deal of time studying anatomy and gleaning info from the net regarding exercises and tips. A teacher would have sped the process BUT... I received a standing ovation from >300 listeners last weekend and phone calls and cards during the week following a solo performance. It was a lot of work but the journey made it that much sweeter. Yes you can do it!

There is something I call "the architecture of your skull." If you look into high quality equipment, or musical instrument construction, you can learn that the amount and dimensions of space inside of a speaker cabinet or musical instrument is extremely important to obtaining the optimum sound from the speaker or instrument. The same is true of the voice. The size and shape of the various cavities of the head (pharyngeal, oral, nasal, sinus) and the shape and contour of the vocal mask (the facial bones, which act like the soundboard of a musical instrument) are a big determiner in the usability of the vocal instrument. So, is this talent? Okay. Does this mean that someone who doesn't have a "well-built" vocal instrument can't be a professional singer? Well, no. Pavarotti, for instance, has a wonderful instrument. In fact, he seems to have inherited it from his father, who had perhaps a better voice than his. Domingo, on the other hand, doesn't have such a perfect instrument. To get to his level of success demanded more good hard work. Now, while Pavarotti is known for a fairly narrow variety of 19th century Italian operatic works, Domingo can go from singing Mozart one night to Puccini the next to Wagner the next. He plays the piano and is a skilled conductor. Note, also, that if you can get someone to pay you to sing, then you're a pro. There's no hard and fast line of what it means to "sing like a pro." But I will say this: I consider myself an average person. I also consider myself a pro. I'm not rich, I'm not famous, but I make a living teaching and performing. I will say that if I practiced more, I'd probably be doing more performing and less teaching. But there it is. First hand example: average person, practice and training, sings like a pro. -EdM.

you can learn but some people are just bad

talent helps a whole lot, but there have been a few alley cats who have learned to sing like nightengales.

I'm not sure you can learn to sing well without some natural ability, or being lucky enough to have vocal cords that sound nice. But most anything else, I'd say yes, you can learn to do it well. To be talented at something, you need only to have dedication, desire and an obsession to practice as much as possible. Everyone has the ability to be talented.